UW-Madison announces First Wave/MC Lyte Scholarship presented by Hip Hop Sisters Network

A full-tuition First Wave scholarship at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was named today for the legendary pioneer for women in hip-hop, MC Lyte.

The development results from a partnership involving the university’s Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI), a unit in the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement, and the Hip Hop Sisters Foundation (HHSF), which was founded by Lyte.

The naming of the $100,000 scholarship was announced today in New York City and Madison, Wis.

“For years I’ve dreamed of having the ability to help our community and now finally the day has arrived,” says Lyte. “HHSF is about changing lives and truly encouraging several generations that have been and are influenced by hip-hop culture. It is my life’s mission to see those who believe, actually see their dreams come to fruition. Helping the younger generation see their strengths and potential is what my goals are for this foundation. This scholarship partnership with UW–Madison is just the beginning for what HHSF has in store.”

The First Wave scholarship will be awarded to one college-bound student to pursue a bachelor’s degree at UW–Madison.

Freshmen who plan to enroll in college in the fall of 2013 are invited to apply online for the First Wave/MC Lyte $100,000 UW–Madison Scholarship Presented by Hip Hop Sisters Foundation.

The application deadline is Oct. 1, 2012 and the winner will be announced by Lyte and HHSF in collaboration with this year’s Soul Train Music Awards.

The recipient will hold one of the competitive First Wave Scholar slots in the only higher education program of its kind to incorporate hip-hop artistry at the college level. This partnership will enhance the recruitment of the seventh cohort of the First Wave Learning Community, which launched in 2007 and currently has 65 scholars pursuing degrees in topics from theater and drama to science.

Damon Williams, UW–Madison vice provost and chief diversity officer, says that the partnership is a groundbreaking effort.

“The UW–Madison and MC Lyte partnership presents us with an amazing opportunity to align ourselves with one of the nation’s hip-hop pioneers and a continuing presence in the lives of young people through her work with the Hip Hop Sisters Network,” Williams says. “This relationship will not only strengthen the academic possibilities of the network, but allow UW–Madison to create a deeper connection with the hip-hop generation.”

“Over time,” Williams adds, “we know that this relationship will allow us to accelerate our efforts to educate the world’s next generation of innovators, artists and community builders who will lead the next generation of game-changing UW–Madison alumni.”

For UW–Madison’s First Wave, the partnership is another step toward strengthening the educational, social justice and empowerment aspects embodied by hip-hop, says Willie Ney, founder and executive director of OMAI and First Wave.

“MC Lyte’s focus on academic excellence, artistic integrity and community involvement mirror the three A’s of First Wave, which are academics, arts and activism,” Ney says. “Combining the top young artists in the nation in the world’s first and only full-tuition scholarship program for spoken word and hip-hop artists with a global icon like MC Lyte and the Hip Hop Sisters Network brand is a natural evolution for our revolutionary program,” he says.

“We foresee great things developing from this relationship, including professional development opportunities for our students, greater visibility for our program, and the establishment of a broader and deeper pool of talent for our scholarship initiatives,” Ney adds.

Russell Simmons, HHSF advisory board member and co-founder of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, praised the Hip Hop Sisters Foundation for its strong legacy of being a national voice that reverberates with the truest heartbeat and pulse of the global hip-hop community.

“This partnership signals an opportunity to help young people influenced by hip hop culture think of education as an achievable goal rather than a phantom wish reserved only for the lucky,” says Simmons.