Nas standing on the Harvard University campus, framed by historic brick buildings and autumn trees, blending classic academia with modern hip-hop culture. Clean, editorial lighting with a scholarly yet creative tone.]
Hip-hop and higher education continue to intersect as Nas and Harvard University officially open applications for the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship for the 2026–27 academic year. Students interested in joining the program have until January 30, 2026, to submit their applications.
The legendary MC shared the announcement on Instagram last week, drawing renewed attention to a fellowship that has quietly become one of the most respected academic opportunities tied to hip-hop culture. The program operates under the umbrella of the W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute, which focuses on advancing scholarship and creative work across African and African American studies.
According to the institute, the fellowship brings together roughly twenty scholars and creatives each year from across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America, and North America. Fellows range from academics and scientists to writers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, and visual artists, all working in a collaborative, residential environment designed to nurture research and innovation.
Projects supported by the fellowship span a wide range of disciplines, including Hip Hop studies, African and African diaspora studies, Afro-Latin American studies, art and design, education, literary studies, and creative writing. Participants can apply for a fall semester, spring semester, or a full academic year appointment.
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Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation, a résumé or CV, a detailed project proposal, and a writing sample. Full application details are available directly through Harvard’s official website.
Nas first partnered with Harvard to establish the fellowship in 2013, marking the first time an academic fellowship was named after a hip-hop artist. Since then, his influence has only grown. Beyond his celebrated run of albums with Hit-Boy, Nas has expanded his cultural footprint through Mass Appeal Records, curating projects that spotlight and preserve the legacies of hip-hop’s most iconic voices.
More than a decade later, the fellowship stands as proof that hip-hop’s impact reaches far beyond music—into classrooms, research spaces, and the global academic conversation.
