Harvard Student presents his dissertation to graduate on a rap album

To graduate with honors in the Harvard University English Department, students must do a dissertation. A novel, a short story or even a poetry collection is the norm. But what Obasi Shaw presented last week had never been seen in the history of the university Harvard was founded in the 17th century. It is one of the most prestigious in the United States.

What he did.

The 20-year-old student wrote and recorded a rap album titled “Liminal Minds” with 10 tracks, a work that is his thesis. He said that his mother suggested him to write a rap album, and he thought it would never work, that they would never accept it.

He also explains that it is especially powerful to tell people stories in their own language. His thesis combines Old English poetry elements with racial identity topics in the United States.

Slavery and freedom.

The lyric of “Declaration of Independence” where Shaw speaks about the principles that the founding fathers of the United States. They thought when founding the nation, but that they were out of the reach of black people community.

Shaw also explains that each song is an exploration of that state between slavery and freedom.

His source of inspiration.

He was inspired in the work “The Canterbury Tales”, by the English writer Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400). In addition, he relied on his love for writing rap and spoken poetry.

It was not an easy job; it took him about a year to write the songs and record them amateur in a friend’s studio.

His work was qualified with an A- and having been presented as a dissertation, gives him the right to graduate with honors.

Other rap albums inside Harvard Campus.

Last year the album To Pimp a Butterfly by rapper Kendrick Lamar and Illmatic by rapper Nes were included in the Harvard Library, given their cultural importance.

But Shaw’s thesis is the first of its kind in university history, which was established in 1636. The future of the young man is not rap for now, because he will be a year in internships in software engineering with Google.

Despite that he says he will not disconnect from rap at all. He claims that rap is a genre in which he can say whatever he wants to say to the world.

Another rule broken by Harvard

This might serve as an inspiration for other students around the world. Students who want to express themselves by doing something different in their thesis. Harvard has broken the rules in all aspects lately. Recently, a group of students have raised $ 27,000 to celebrate the graduation ceremony to honor the efforts of African-American students in the University.

This is the “Black Graduation 2017” whose organizers say it is the first college-wide ceremony for African-American students. It is to celebrate their achievements and obstacles they have had in an elite institution with historical references to slavery.