Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., more commonly known as the rapper and actor T.I., has joined the faculty at Georgia’s Clark Atlanta University (CAU) to help teach a course about the hip-hop subgenre of trap music.
The Live Your Life hitmaker will be a special guest for Dr. Melva K. Williams’ Business of Trap Music class, during which undergraduate students will learn all about the origin and culture of the rap style.
Trap emerged in the U.S. South in the late 1990s, when T.I. was first embarking on his professional music career.
“I am excited to be partnering with Clark Atlanta University in my hometown – Atlanta,” T.I shared in a statement, as he celebrated the “innovative approach” to providing an education “beyond the traditional textbook curriculum” adopted at a number of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), like CAU.
School president George T. French Jr. added, “In higher education it is important that we challenge, empower and equip our students with the proper resources to excel.”
The educator continued: “I believe the best way to do this is to understand their culture and create life-long experiences that will not only motivate our scholars but present them with opportunities to help them become globally competitive.”
The first Business of Trap Music classes will begin this autumn.
