Kendrick Lamar's Anthem "Alright" Inspires Philly College Scholarship

Kendrick Lamar’s Black Anthem “Alright” Inspires Philadelphia College Scholarship

Big pimpin’, givin’ cheese…

Via Philly

Rapper Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” has become the black joy anthem of 2015.

The lyrics, “We gon’ be alright!” are chanted in protests, shouted at house parties, tweeted in solidarity, and spewed in fierce rebuttal.

Now the proclamation of joy in the face of adversity is the inspiration behind the “Be Alright” college scholarship launched by Oogeewoogee.com.

The Philly-based online publication, founded by entrepreneur Tom Stafford, is a “global multimedia outlet with an emphasis on Hip Hop and counterculture, and how those two intersect with society and current affairs,” while stressing financial, technological, and multicultural unity.

Wilkine Brutus, content director of Oogeewoogee, says the scholarship is a way to take all those goals and make a “tangible impact.”

It began when English teacher Brian T. Mooney of High Tech High School in North Bergen, N.J., began to pair Lamar’s critically acclaimed album To Pimp A Butterfly with Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye in his lessons. He reported on the experience in his blog, Why I Dropped Everything and Started Teaching Kendrick Lamar’s Album.

The post reached Lamar, who then visited the high school. Lamar listened to the students’ poetry, gave a special performance, and participated in a rap cypher. In Mooney’s class Lamar wasn’t only rapper but author. Education met hip-hop.

Not many college scholarships can be given out over “dirty Sprite”

Image via NYTimes