ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Harvard Student Submits Rap Album For Undergraduate Thesis And Gets An A

Harvard Student Submits Rap Album For Undergraduate Thesis And Gets An A

I wish this was an option at school

Anonymous

Anonymous

Is there anyone cooler than Obasi Shaw?

No. The simple answer is no. The more complex answer is also no. He just became the first person in history to submit an undergraduate thesis to Harvard... in the form of a rap album.

That's right. Not a painstakingly researched and footnoted essay like the rest of us fools who went through higher education. Obasi dropped an entire album for his thesis.

Credit: Facebook; Obasi throwing some shapes

And he's only 20 years old. So, it's a double whammy - graduating at 20 with honours from arguably the best university in the world and doing it with a kickass political rap album.

The album is called Liminal Minds - which could be a play on Criminal Minds. Maybe. I'm not rap artist myself.

And... of course... liminality means occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold or going through a transitionary phase (who didn't know that...?). That makes sense as he's just about to graduate. When he went to university, Obama was president and now Trump is in the White House.

"I never thought it would be accepted by Harvard," he told The New York Post. "I didn't think they would respect rap as an art form enough for me to do it."

Obasi Shaw
Obasi Shaw

Credit: PA

Well, clearly they did and his English professors thought he was badass. He got an A- and will now be a graduate.

His thesis advisor and Harvard English lecturer, Josh Bell, was full of praise for Obasi.

Josh said: "[Obasi is a] serious artist and he's an amazing guy. He was able to turn around an album that people in the English Department would like very much but also that people who like rap music might like."

The 10-track album is a dark and moody look at what it means to be black in America. Obasi drew inspiration from 20th century writer and commentator James Baldwin, who is known for his essays on racial tensions in mid-century America, and also Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales.

Now, say what you like about the 14th century ye olde English, it's full of sex and dirty jokes. That's some eclectic inspo, right there.

The topics he raps about include police violence and slavery and took a year for him to write.

And just when you thought he couldn't get any cooler, it turns out that he's going to release the album for free online and try and break into the industry. Until then, he'll be working at Google as a software engineer.

Can't wait to see him touring the world.

Words: Laura Hamilton

Featured Image Credit: PA