Album Notes

G. The Chancellor: Voice of the Black Collegian

G. is the voice of the Black Collegian, a mantra all but ignored by the hip-hop industry. While many rappers purport to carry the torch of mean inner-city streets, and laudably so, it is the Black Collegians that are made to feel outcasts in hip-hop – their academic colleagues telling them hip-hop has left them while their friends back home claim it is they who have left hip-hop. Most become disenchanted. They find themselves selecting fewer and fewer rap songs to load into their mp3 playlist when choosing the day’s soundtrack. There is no song to capture the essence of attending classes, reading James Baldwin, or breaking down the DuBois-Washington debates. No album has served as the perfect back drop for a bus ride to the library, a networking session in the Black Student Union, or a casual meeting in a dorm lounge to discuss campus climate.

It is this audience, The Black Collegians, that G. has set out to address in The Chancellor projects. The Chancellor, Legend, and the forth-coming Metalanguage touch on subjects such as living in the post-Civil Rights Era, balancing science and spirituality, and remembering love in an environment that pushes people to focus solely on their careers. With a BS from Arizona State (and additional coursework at Florida A&M and Ohio State), an MA from Virginia Tech, and a JD from University of Pennsylvania, as well as lecturing experience at Lincoln, Chayney, Temple, Rosemont, University of South Carolina, and West Virginia University, G. is in an unique position as a hip-hop lyricist to speak to the concerns of the Black Collegian.

If a listener falls outside of this category, of course he or she may still enjoy The Chancellor projects. Throughout each album, G. maintains the utmost artistic integrity. Any hip-hop fan will appreciate his lyrical wit, his use of poetics, and the head-nodding production of collaborators Ohene, Random Beats, and Prolific. However, if you are a Black college student or recent graduate, especially if you attend (or have attended) a predominately white university, you absolutely MUST have these albums. Your voice has been heard. Your soundtrack is here.

“This album speaks to a demographic mostly ignored by the mainstream.” – Ashok Kamal, Former A&R

“It is important what [G. is] doing. Black students in the university need hip-hop to speak to them as well.” – Nikki Giovanni, Author, Poet, University Professor