Nas Headed to Harvard

Nas is headed to the Ivy League -- kind of.

Harvard University's W. E. B. Du Bois Institute has announced the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship. According to a press release, the fellowship will "provide selected scholars and artists with an opportunity to show that 'education is real power,' as it builds upon the achievements of those who demonstrate exceptional capacity for productive scholarship and exceptional creative ability in the arts, in connection with hip-hop."

Harvard notes that Nas's socially conscious lyrics have "helped usher in an original form of hip-hop debate and analysis that reflects on and represents urban youth angst and conflict as well as intelligence, confidence and ambition.”

Nas says, "I am immensely, over-the-top excited about the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship at Harvard....It is a true honor to have my name attached to so much hard work, alongside great names like Henry Louis Gates Junior and W.E.B. Du Bois, and to such a prestigious and historical institution, and all in the name of the music I grew to be a part of.”

The recipients of the fellowship will be selected by members of Harvard University.