Dee-1 Pays Off His Debt in “Sallie Mae Back” Video

It's no secret that one of the biggest issues plaguing young Americans is student debt. With each passing day, a story about a twenty-something year old working multiple jobs to pay off a crushing amount of debt seems to come across the newswire. New Orleans rapper Dee-1 was fortunate enough to pay off his loans and celebrated by shooting a video for "Sallie Mae Back," which should serve as an anthem for the tens of millions of people writing checks to loan services every month.

In the clip, Dee puts on camera what so many go through on a daily basis. From ignoring calls from debt collectors to working multiple jobs, the rapper provides an honest, relatable look at one of America's biggest issues.

"It's really a part of my life journey," the MC told The Washington Post. "So many people can relate to it. I've had conversations with friends who went to college, and Sallie Mae would always come up. I wanted to make it a fun, celebratory anthem to motivate people."

After graduating from Louisiana State University in 2009, Dee took a job as a middle school math teacher in Baton Rouge, LA but eventually left the position to pursue music. Once he signed a deal with RCA, he took his advance and paid off his debt instead of copping a new car or jewelry.

"Cars don't matter to me. I still drive a 1998 Honda Accord. I don't care about keeping up with the Joneses," he said. "I was like 'yo, I'm going to finish paying Salle Mae back with this money.'"

Check out Dee's Free Lunch and Sallie Mae mixtape to hear more from the New Orleans native.

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