Myth: The ability to string rhymes together automatically kills brain cells, thereby making it impossible for said stringer of rhymes to obtain a college degree.
Fact: Many of your favorite hip-hoppers are college graduates with funny-sounding honorary titles.
Myth: Street education is a prerequisite for success in rap.
Fact: College education helped rappers like Ludacris and J.Cole land careers in music. Here are five rappers with college degrees, and five others with some level of college education.
5. J. COLE
College: St. John's University
Major: Communications
If it seems that J. Cole is always alluding to college in his rhymes, it's because he spent some time at one. After graduating from Fayetteville's Terry Sanford High School in 2003, the North Carolina MC moved to the Big Apple in pursuit of a college education. Cole attended New York's St. John's University on an academic scholarship.
Rapping on the side and writing full-time, J. Cole graduated Magna cum Laude with a major in communication and a minor in business. He would go on to become the first artist inked to Jay-Z's Roc Nation.
4. PHONTE
College: North Carolina Central University
Major: English
Phonte of Little Brother met his would-be cohorts Rapper Big Pooh and 9th Wonder in 1998, while taking classes at North Carolina Central University.
The group was known as Speed back then, but later switched to Little Brother. While his friends dropped out of college, Tay went on to obtain graduate with Magna Cum Laude honors.
