NEW YORK — Rapper IDK is launching a music business program through Harvard University for students of color.
IDK’s No Label Academy, a 10-day program, will take place August 21-31 on the school’s campus in Boston and will help students kickstart careers in the music industry. Applications opened this week and students who are accepted will receive free tuition.
“I decided to create this program for the purpose of letting people in the BIPOC community know that a job in the arts is a lot more realistic than what society makes it seem these days,” IDK, 29, said in a statement.
IDK is partnering with Nike and other brands to launch the comprehensive program. Brian K. Price, clinical professor of law at Harvard Law School and director of the Transactional Law Clinics, said he’s accepted the invitation to serve as an adviser for the new program “because education is key to launching and maintaining a successful enterprise.”
“Anyone aspiring to do music as a business must think like and excel as an entrepreneur. There must be a foundation of knowledge and how to apply that knowledge. Learning from experience is one way; learning from ‘the experienced’ is another,” he said. “I’m happy to support initiatives that help learners understand how to make wise decisions.”