Soulja Boy is claiming to be the first rapper to become a professor, but that assertion overlooks a long list of hip-hop artists who have stepped into academic spaces before him.
The “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” rapper recently unveiled a new trailer for his upcoming Rapper University project, which appears to draw inspiration from Kai Cenat’s popular streaming university concept. The promotional clip was shared across Soulja Boy’s social media platforms on Friday (June 13), sparking conversation online about the ambitious venture and his claim to academic history.
“I was the first rapper to be a dean and a motherfucking professor. Come on, now. I’m here to teach y’all this game, man,” the 35-year-old says in the trailer.
While the “dean” portion of that statement may be up for debate, the claim of being the first rapper to serve as a professor doesn’t quite hold up.
Several hip-hop artists have already established themselves in higher education over the years.
In 2022, Lupe Fiasco joined MIT’s MLK Visiting Professor Program for the 2022–23 academic year. He later launched a fellowship at Yale University before joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Fall 2025.
Another respected lyricist from the blog era, Mickey Factz, who also runs the lyricism-focused school Pendulum Ink, has taught as an adjunct professor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute. Black Thought has also taught courses there.
Years before Fiasco and Factz entered academia, Bun B broke ground by teaching a course on religion and hip-hop at Rice University in 2011. Meanwhile, fellow Southern rap pioneer Mia X joined the faculty at Loyola University New Orleans in 2019.
These examples are part of a broader academic tradition surrounding hip-hop studies, a field that has been recognized at the university level for decades. Many scholars trace the movement back to the 1994 release of Black Noise by Tricia Rose, one of the first major academic works dedicated to the culture and music.
As for Rapper University, Soulja Boy says the program will teach aspiring artists about branding, mixtape strategy, marketing, confidence, community building, and transforming passion into a sustainable career.
Applications are currently open for artists, producers, managers, promoters, teachers, mentors, guest judges, and other industry hopefuls.
During a recent livestream, Soulja Boy revealed that applicants have “two weeks” to submit their materials.
While an official premiere date has yet to be announced, the series is expected to stream exclusively on Soulja Boy’s Twitch channel.
