HARVARD STUDENT TURNS IN RAP ALBUM AS SENIOR THESIS

Harvard University student Obasi Shaw turned in a rap album as his senior thesis in the English Department. The album, called “Liminal Minds,” has earned the equivalent of an A-minus grade, good enough to guarantee that Shaw will graduate with honors. Shaw, a 20-year-old from Stone Mountain, Georgia, said “I didn’t think they would respect rap as an art form enough for me to do it.” Shaw describes the 10-track album as a dark and moody take on what it means to be black in America. Each song is told from a different character’s perspective, an idea inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th-century classic “The Canterbury Tales.” Shaw, who’s black, also draws on the works of writer James Baldwin while tackling topics ranging from police violence to slavery. His friends supplied many of the beats, while he taught himself how to mix the tracks into a polished product.
* So his original take on what it means to be black in America is like every other angry rap album out there.
* I think what this proves is you can “liberal guilt” Harvard into accepting pretty much anything these days.
* Inspired by classic literature and modern novels? So, just like Kanye.
* Thank god Shakespeare didn’t have access to a drum machine.
* Hello? It’s not about respecting rap as an art form. It’s about doing a senior thesis.
* Oh, I get it. Though it’s a rap album, it self-identifies as a senior thesis.
* Well, then, in that case, congratulations and here’s your Harvard degree.
* It should be no surprise that many of the team that put the economy into the toilet went to Harvard too.
* And don’t start telling me about the stock market, etc … we’re 19 trillion in debt thanks to these Harvard idiots.