Hip Hop Superstar & 'College Dropout' Kanye West Returns to Chicago State University as mtvU Surprise 'Stand In' Professor
02 September 2005 - 6:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
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 /PRNewswire/ -- 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. DATASOURCE: mtvU CONTACT: David French,
+1-212-846-6698, ; or Ariana Urbont, +1-310-752-8079, , both of
mtvU Web site: http://www.mtvu.com/ http://www.mtv.com/
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