We Major: Rappers Who Went to College and What They Studied

Ten years ago to the day, an overconfident producer from Chicago changed hip-hop (and music in general, to be honest) with a debut album that diverted from the genre's norms of the time. With The College Dropout, Kanye West delivered a personal statement that unfolded in near cinematic fashion, peppered with hilarious skits that accented his signature sense of humor, as well as approach to music making that built on what he accomplished on early-2000s Roc-A-Fella releases.

The album's overarching theme was college, specifically West's decision to leave it in order to pursue his dreams. One of the reasons the album resonated so well is because the average hip-hop fan—who most likely never sold drugs, fired a gun or spent time in jail—could truly relate to it. Whether you were a college graduate, a college student, college-bound or a dropout like West himself, you could identify with the subject matter because West was relaying similar experiences and ambitions.

Despite his association with college, Kanye certainly isn't the only rapper to attend. Many others pursued higher education; some dropped out, while others finished school and even sought graduate degrees. Here's a look at several of these rappers, as well as where they went to school and what they studied.

Written by Julian Kimble (@JRK316)

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School: West Chester University
Major: Elementary Education

Asher Roth enjoyed his time at Pennsylvania's West Chester University so much that he penned a rather successful, Weezer-sampling ode to the collegiate experience. Though Roth dropped out after three years and moved to Atlanta to pursue music, those undergraduate memories obviously resonated well with him.

School: University of Pennsylvania
Major: Communications

The Chicago native enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania in 2000, where he met the other half of Kidz in the Hall, producer Double-O. While at Penn, Naledge became a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity before graduating in 2004. The Ivy League influence can be felt on Kidz in the Hall's debut album, School Was My Hustle, as well their subsequent releases.

School: North Carolina Central University
Major: English

Phonte met Big Pooh and 9th Wonder at North Carolina Central University, where the trio formed Little Brother. Phonte, who majored in English, was the only one to graduate.

School: Morehouse College and Fashion Institute of Technology
Major: Business Administration

The voice of Gang Starr graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta before briefly studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. He left his graduate studies behind to pursue a rap career, a decision his family was less than thrilled with.

School: Southwest Tennessee Community College
Major: Business

Yo Gotti dreamed of attending Tennessee State University, but wasn't accepted right out of high school. He attended Southwest Tennessee Community College with the intention of eventually transferring to Tennessee State, but said he was forced to choose between school and a developing music career.

School: Robert Morris College, Virginia State University and Bowie State University
Major: Unknown

The sports junkie played football in high school, then attended Robert Morris College and Virginia State University on football scholarships. His final collegiate days were spent at Bowie State University, where he ultimately dropped out for good and focused on music full-time.

School: University of Michigan and Long Island University
Major: Unknown

Stalley was a basketball stand-out in his native Massillon, Ohio, even playing against LeBron James in high school. He elected to focus on hip-hop after music after injuries derailed stints at the University of Michigan and Long Island University.

School: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Major: Electrical Engineering

Rah Digga attended NJIT for two years, where she said she was a "wiz in physics and calculus."

School: University of Southern California
Major: Unknown

Romeo Miller, formerly known as Lil' Romeo, had a brief stint at USC after being awarded a basketball scholarship. He left school in 2010, a year after friend, former teammate and current NBA All-Star selection Demar DeRozan went pro. Though got clowned for hardly seeing action on the court, he'll be just fine in life. Trust.

School: University of Houston and Merritt College
Major: Business

Master P earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Houston in the late '80s, but suffered a devastating knee injury just months into his freshman year. He eventually transferred to Merritt College in Oakland, where he studied business.

School: Navarro Junior College
Major: Unknown

On "Daydreaming," Cam'ron rapped "You wanted me to go to school and just play ball/What I do? Go to school with that 8-ball." There's truth that: Cam was a talented basketball player in high school, claiming that he drew the interest of schools like USC, Georgetown and the University of Miami.

He never graduated from Manhattan Center High School, but said that the University of Miami put him on to Navarro Junior College, where he attended after earning his GED. He returned to Harlem after tearing his hamstring, and then his music career took off. Thus, Cameron Giles became Cam'ron, cultural icon and cape connoisseur.

School: New York University
Major: Experimental Theater

Born to a college professor and a college administrator, Talib Kweli continued the family tradition by studying experimental theater at NYU. This no doubt aided his MC skills, specifically his stage presence.

School: University of Houston
Major: Communications

The Houston native dreamed of working in radio while majoring in mass communications at the University of Houston. He dropped out to devote his full attention to music.

School: Howard University
Major: Communications

Known for the anthem "The Theme (It's Party Time)" and "Keep Your Hands High" featuring the Notorious B.I.G., Philadelphia native Tracey Lee is a graduate of Howard University. At Howard, he met Diddy, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie and Mark Pitts, who remembered him when he ventured to New York to launch his rap career. These days, he goes by Tracey Lee, Esq., having earned a law degree from Southern University Law Center.

School: Adelphi University
Major: Graphic Design

Chuck D attended Long Island's Adelphi University, majoring in graphic design. Last spring, the legend spoke at Adelphi's 117th Commencement ceremony and was given an honorary doctorate degree.

School: Adelphi University
Major: Communications

Flavor Flav also attended Adelphi University, where he majored in communications. Perhaps that's where he learned some of the disciplines that made him a reality television star during the aughts.

School: Georgia State University
Major: Music Management

Ludacris knew he wanted to be in the entertainment industry early. While studying at Atlanta's Georgia State University, he began interning at Atlanta's Hot 107.9 and eventually became DJ Chris Lova Lova. In the midst of his successful transition from DJ to rapper to actor, he's still managed to use his music management degree by founding Disturbing tha Peace Records.

School: Southern University and University of Maryland
Major: Business

David Banner studied business and was the student government president at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. After graduating, he pursued a master's degree in education at the University of Maryland and said he was one of the top five students in his class.

School: Albany State University

Major: Criminal Justice

Prior to the birth of the persona and his term as a corrections officer, Rick Ross spent a year at Georgia's Albany State University. Ross, an accomplished football player in high school, attended the HBCU on a football scholarship, only to leave after deciding that college wasn't for him.

School: University of Houston and University of Phoenix
Major: Psychology

After earning his GED, Wayne began taking classes at the University of Houston in early 2005. When taking classes became too hectic in the wake of his success (how does Lil Wayne keep a low profile?), he started taking online classes at the University of Phoenix.

School: Howard University
Major: Business

Back when he was just Sean Combs, Diddy was a business major at Howard University. His ambition drove him to become an intern at Uptown Records in New York, and when it became impossible to manage that and his studies, he dropped out. Let's just say that decision paid off.

School: Florida A&M University
Major: Business Administration

Common was a business major at the HBCU Florida A&M University. In his 2011 memoir, One Day It'll All Make Sense, the rapper revealed that No I.D. would leave beats on his answering machine, and that he recorded "A Penny For My Thoughts" from his debut album over the phone.

School: Alabama State University
Major: Psychology

When his career took off during its third stage in 2012, it was revealed that 2 Chainz played basketball for Alabama State University. In high school, he was simply Tauheeps Epps, a reed-thin 6'5" guard who Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) considered as a replacement for Penny Hardaway. (Footage of him pulling off a Jalen Rose-like dunk then doing the Bankhead Bounce proves he's always had that sense of humor). He ended up playing a full season of Division I basketball for Alabama State, averaging roughly 11 minutes per game.

School: St. John's University
Major: Communications

A young J. Cole decided that college was his ticket to hip-hop's mecca, New York City. The thing is, it took a bit longer than he expected. He ended up graduating from Queens' St. John's University with honors, learning the discipline and patience that eventually materialized into a successful career. Now, in addition to holding a degree, he's a Grammy nominee with two gold albums.

School: Chicago State University
Major: English

During the mid-90s, the college dropout himself briefly attended Chicago State University, where his mother, Donda, was a professor. As he's reminded listeners many times over the past decade and change, Kanye quickly decided that college wasn't his thing and, well, you know the rest.