Nas Takes Hip Hop Back to Harvard — Fellowship Applications Are Live
Nas is once again proving that hip hop is bigger than charts and trophies — it's academic too. The Queensbridge icon just announced that applications are officially open for the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship at Harvard University for the 2026–27 academic year, according to HotNewHipHop and Harvard University.
The news came straight from Nas himself, who shared the update on Instagram last week, letting creatives know this opportunity is very real and very now (via HotNewHipHop).
The fellowship is housed at Harvard's prestigious W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute, a space dedicated to advancing African and African American studies across the global diaspora (per Harvard University).
Each year, around 20 fellows from across the world are selected — including musicians, writers, filmmakers, journalists, visual artists, scholars, and cultural researchers — all working on projects that push hip hop and Black studies forward (via HotNewHipHop).
Projects can touch everything from Hip Hop studies, African diaspora research, Afro-Latin studies, creative writing, art, education, and cultural storytelling, with fellowship options available for one semester or a full academic year (per Harvard University).
To apply, candidates must submit three letters of recommendation, a resume or CV, a detailed project proposal, and a writing sample through Harvard's official portal (via Harvard University).
Nas originally partnered with Harvard back in 2013, making history as the first hip-hop artist ever to have an academic fellowship named after him (according to HotNewHipHop).
Since then, his legacy has only expanded — from Grammy wins alongside Hit-Boy to shaping culture through Mass Appeal Records, where he's helped spotlight legends like Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Big L, and Slick Rick (via HotNewHipHop).
From festival stages to Ivy League halls, Nas continues to show the world that hip hop is history, intellect, and culture — all in one.