Jasmine Young reinvents higher education by connecting chart-topping rap albums to career training at Howard University, turning pop culture success into academic momentum.
Jasmine “Jazz” Young builds Howard University class around Cardi B to show how hip-hop business can win instantly.
What began as a conversation about education and culture has become a fall 2026 course exploring Am I a Drama? 》The blockbuster event behind? and how it prepares students for careers in the music industry.
Developed by Warner Music’s Blavatnik Center for Music Business, this three-credit interdisciplinary course uses Cardi B’s chart-topping success as a modern blueprint for marketing, branding and cultural influence.
The album sold more than 200,000 copies in its first week after its release in September 2025, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The Bronx-born rapper is now touring the country to sold-out crowds.
Young, also known as “The Hip Hop Professor,” said the idea came from forward-thinking discussions about how hip-hop education should evolve. In a statement to AllHipHop, Young explained how the whole thing happened.
“The idea for Cardi B’s classes came about after working with Chuck from AllHipHop (Creekmur) came about while brainstorming about the next phase of hip-hop education—from a place of purpose and responsibility—not just talking about authentic music industry education and hip-hop, but activating it. A proactive, immersive learning environment where the curriculum is current and culturally relevant, not just textbooks, which is why now at Howard University, we are taking hip-hop education to the next level through the lens of one of the most influential artists of our generation, and I am so grateful to be able to co-teach this course and continue to create a legacy.
The course goes beyond lectures. Students will analyze how alternative cover art, grassroots promotion in New York, fan engagement strategies, and public legal moments became part of the album’s narrative arc.
The goal, Yang said, is to close the gap between theory and execution.
“Howard University’s ‘Cardi B and My Play: The Art, Production, Marketing and Cultural Impact of Hip Hop’ course is more than just a course, it is a cultural reset and a foundational moment in hip-hop education. The strategy, storytelling and brand architecture behind a superstar like this. The students are excited because it’s not just theory, it’s exposure, it’s real-life scripting, and it represents everything we at the Warner Music/Bravatnik Center stand for: educating, inspiring and empowering.”
Young sees the program as academically and personally motivated.
“With this we will change the face of marketing, music business, and hip-hop education. I’m excited to use this course to educate our students while moving the culture forward. I’m a hip-hop professor for a reason!”
As universities continue to view hip-hop as both an academic and an industry, Young’s efforts herald a future in which classrooms evolve in step with the culture they study, turning case studies into career playbooks and ambitions into opportunities.
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