Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” Inspires Scholarship for Students

Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" has become a rallying cry for young people across the country and now the song is inspiring higher learning. Philadelphia collective OogeeWoogee were inspired by New Jersey's High Tech High teacher Brian Mooney, who used Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly album in the classroom to to teach his English students. After hearing about the lesson plan, Kendrick Lamar himself stopped by the classroom after his performance at Hot 97's Summer Jam, K.Dot dropped in on the class to mingle with the students and witness how his words were being used to educate. OogeeWoogee was so inspired by the visit that they decided to create the inaugural "Be Alright" College Scholarship, which awarded $1500 to a student from High Tech High.

OoogeeWoogee held a contest from Aug. 21 - Aug. 25 and invited students to create a 2-3 minute clip illustrating the positive aspects of hip-hop and showcasing their talent, whether it be rapping, poetry, etc...The winner was Hamza Qureshi, a graduate of High Tech High and freshman at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Qureshi's entry video can be seen below and the young man is focused on beginning the university's first ever slam poetry club and expanding his talents:

OogeeWoogee hopes the success of the "Be Alright" College Scholarship will help take the contest from a local level to a national one next year.