Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, executive and producer Young Guru has joined the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University as director of the music technology, entrepreneurship and production program.
In addition to his work with JAY-Z, Rihanna and Mariah Carey, Young Guru co-founded and co-leads Jamla Records, which houses Grammy Award-nominated and critically acclaimed lyricist Rapsody as well as newcomers Reuben Vincent and Ian Kelly. Along with the the Roc Nation School, Young Guru has announced a full-tuition scholarship to be awarded to one highly qualified student.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am!! This chapter is called ‘Education,'” Young Guru wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday (June 22). “I am now the Director of the Music Technology, Entrepreneurship, & Production program at the Roc Nation School. I’m also giving away a FULL Tuition Scholarship!! Link in We Live in Brooklyn Baby!!!!
Young Guru has already served on the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music as an artist-in-residence and lectured at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Music and Emory University.
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“Education is a valuable platform to show talented students how to navigate the music industry, preserve music history, and share their culture with the world,” he said in a press release. “Joining the Roc Nation School is an incredible opportunity to offer my experience as a guide for up-and-coming artists and producers.”
Long Island University President Kimberly Cline added, “The Roc Nation School is the premier destination for the next generation of professionals in the music industry who have the opportunity to learn directly from top executives and artists. We are thrilled to welcome Young Guru to the Roc Nation School’s leadership team. His decades of experience and expertise in the music business will be an incredible asset to the school.”
Young Guru is following in the footsteps of 9th Wonder, who joined Long Island University in 2021 as the first professor and artist-in-residence at the school. With his previous experience at North Carolina Central University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia and Duke University, he was the ideal candidate.
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“Academia is a rigorous field, right?” the veteran producer told HipHopDX at the time. “I had to learn, I’ve been teaching for 15 years. So I had to learn that myself when I first got into academia on the instructional side. I went to college but just on the instructional side or the professorship side, I had to learn how scripted that was. I couldn’t look at myself as a musician or a hip-hopper that’s trying to teach. I had to start looking at myself as a professor.”
To apply for the scholarship, head here.