Jul 19, 2013 10:21 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

The multi-platinum Def Jam Recordings artist, Nas is being honoured with the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship at Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute. The fellowship will help students who excel in arts 'related with hip-hop.'

 Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship is established by Hiphop Archive and Du Bois Institute. The archive was introduced at the Ivy League School in 2002 to support growing research in hip-hop.

"Having welcomed artists including Ninth Wonder and scholars including Mark Anthony Neal, the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute is uncompromising in our commitment to build and support intellectually challenging and innovative scholarship that reflects the rigor and achievement of Hiphop performance," said Marcyliena Morgan, Harvard professor of African and African American Studies and founder and director of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute.

 "With the introduction of the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship, we will continue to be the leading resource for those interested in knowing, developing, building, maintaining, and representing Hiphop."

The 39-year-old rapper is one of hip-hop's most celebrated lyricists. He is well-known for his reflective rhymes and deep storytelling. Nas' 11th album 'Life Is Good,' which was released last year, earned four Grammy nominations.

'If I Ruled the World (Imagine That),' 'Street Dreams' and 'I Can' are most popular.

 "Nas is a true visionary, and he consistently shows how boundaries can be pushed and expanded to further the cause of education and knowledge. The work of the Du Bois Institute is enriched by the addition of the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship," said Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit