More than a decade after its groundbreaking launch, Nas and his partnership with Harvard University remains a powerful bridge between hip-hop culture and academic excellence. The Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship is officially accepting applications for the 2026–27 academic year, reaffirming the genre’s place within global intellectual and creative discourse.
Students interested in applying have until January 30th, 2026, to submit their materials. Nas personally shared the announcement via Instagram, spotlighting the fellowship’s ongoing mission and its home within Harvard’s prestigious W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute.
Hip-Hop Meets Higher Learning
At the heart of the fellowship is a commitment to cultivating both scholarship and creativity. According to the official statement shared by Nas, the Fellows Program provides “a supportive, vibrant environment for intellectual and artistic community,” advancing research across African and African American studies and the broader African diaspora.
Each year, approximately twenty fellows from across the globe including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America, and North America are selected to develop projects during their residency. The program welcomes a wide range of voices and disciplines, from scholars and journalists to filmmakers, musicians, technologists, and visual artists.
A Truly Multidisciplinary Fellowship
Fellowship projects span an expansive list of fields, including: Hip Hop studies, African and African American studies, Afro-Latin American studies, art and art history, education, design, literary studies, Indian Ocean studies, and creative writing, among others. Participants may apply for a fall semester, spring semester, or full academic year residency, allowing flexibility for creatives and researchers at different stages of their careers.
Applicants are required to submit three letters of reference, a résumé or CV, a detailed project proposal, and a writing sample. Full application details are available directly through Harvard University’s official website.
A Historic Program With Lasting Impact
When Nas first teamed up with Harvard in 2013, the university billed the initiative as the first academic fellowship named after a hip-hop artist. As a result, becoming a historic milestone that challenged traditional notions of academia and cultural legitimacy. Today, the fellowship stands as proof that hip-hop is not only a musical movement but also a critical framework for storytelling, history, and intellectual inquiry.
Nas’ Legacy Beyond Breeds Beyond Classroom
The fellowship is just one chapter in Nas’ ever-expanding legacy. In recent years, the Queensbridge icon enjoyed a career renaissance through his critically acclaimed run of albums with Hit-Boy, culminating in a Best Rap Album Grammy Award in 2021. Through Mass Appeal Records, Nas has also played a vital role in preserving hip-hop history with the Legend Has It… series, spotlighting new projects from legends like Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Big L, and Slick Rick.
Hip-Hop As A Global Intellectual Force
The Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship continues to confirm what fans and scholars have long known hip-hop is a living, evolving academic force. By creating space for artists and thinkers to explore the culture’s impact on society, Nas and Harvard are helping shape the next generation of storytellers, educators, and innovators both inside and outside the classroom.
