Is there anything that Kendrick Lamar can’t do? His songs are used as a rallying cry for protestors speaking out against injustice, and when he’s not saving lives through his music, Kendrick is bringing his influence into the classroom, and introducing scholarships to help inspire the next generation.
We’ve already touched on just how polarising ‘Alright’ has become; an anthem of sorts in a time of social injustice and racial tension. The ‘Be Alright’ scholarship encourages students at a New Jersey high school, NJ High Tech High, to submit short videos demonstrating some of the positive messages and impacts of hip-hop.
The selected winner will be granted $1,500 to spend on schoolbooks and tuition, something that Kendrick himself can clearly see the importance of. Oogee Woogee is the organisation behind the scholarship’s implementation, with plans to roll out similar schemes throughout the country.
It’s instances like this that we really get to see the positive impact that hip-hop can make on a younger generation. These are young minds ripe for moulding, and what better way to set these children down the right path than to encourage their academic achievement and praise the learning process.
Let’s hope the rest of the genre starts to follow suit.