Kanye West College

Hip Hop Superstar Kanye West has been in the news quite a bit lately. On Friday, September 2, 2005, while participating in a live telethon and concert produced by NBC News titled “A Concert for Hurricane Relief,” he said the following: “I hate the way they betray us in the media. If it's a black family, it says we're looting. If it's a white family, it says they're looking for food. And you know that it's been five days because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain, I would be a hypocrite because I would turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. We already realize that a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way, and they have given them permission to go down and shoot us. . . . George Bush didn't care about black people.” Well, a few weeks before that outburst, West was on the cover of Time magazine and was named to that publication’s list of 100 most influential people in the world. Now MTV is sending a press release that lets us know West paid a surprise visit to his former college, Chicago State University on Thursday, September 1st, and asks the question “Who better than Kanye to inspire and educate the next generation of student talent?" Read the Press Release below:

---------------

Hip Hop Superstar & 'College Dropout' Kanye West Returns to Chicago State University as mtvU Surprise 'Stand In' Professor.

Kanye West Returns to Former University In Special mtvU 'Stand In' Episode Premiering Monday, September 19th at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.

NEW YORK, Sept. 1 -- mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, jump started the fall semester by hosting hip hop superstar, VMA and Grammy Award winner, and self proclaimed "college dropout," Kanye West as a "Stand In" professor. With mtvU cameras following, Kanye paid a surprise visit to his former college, Chicago State University on Thursday, September 1st where he greeted a group of unsuspecting music students.

"Just a few years after he would have graduated, Kanye West is at the epicenter of new music, at the top of his game as an artist and producer, "said Stephen Friedman, GM of mtvU. "Who better than Kanye to inspire and educate the next generation of student talent."

As "Stand In" professor for the day, Kanye taught a master class in song writing and arranging as part of the University's music program. Providing his unique perspective on music, life and culture, Kanye's visit comes on the heals of his sophomore release Late Registration, which hit stores August 30th.

The mtvU "Stand In" with Kanye West will premiere on air and online at mtvu.com at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on Monday, September 19th and will repeat throughout the week. mtvU is viewed by over 6.5 million college students on over 730 campuses nationwide.

The anticipated release of Late Registration, follows Kanye West's hugely popular debut album, The College Dropout, which has sold over 3 million copies to date. The release also earned widespread critical acclaim including the 47th annual Grammy's where Kanye topped all nominees with an historic ten nods and took home awards for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best R&B song. Most recently, Kanye was honored at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, winning Best Male Performance for his video "Jesus Walks."

Kanye West is the latest national public figure to participate as a guest in mtvU's "Stand In" event series. Each stepping in as guest professor and teaching a class unique to their experience and background, previous participants include Elie Wiesel, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Ashley Judd, Russell Simmons, author Tom Wolfe, rapper Nas, Marilyn Manson, Snoop Dogg, Senator John McCain, and Sting.

mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they hang out, through a three pronged approach -- on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music programming, news, student life features, events, pro-social initiatives and more.

For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit http://www.mtvu.com.

MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television, MTV2, mtvU, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, and Spike TV, as well as The Digital Suite from MTV Networks, a package of thirteen digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.