Photo Credit: THA LIGHTS GLOBAL/WARNER BROS
Rapper Lil Pump along with his label Warner Brothers managed to trick the media into believing he was giving this year’s Harvard commencement speech. It’s Angela Merkel and a simple Google search would show that yet it was widely reported that the 18 year old rapper who’s never gone to college managed to convince the media he was doing it instead. And just how did he do that? Well he’s managed to keep a rumor going for years that he did in fact go to Harvard. Considering how he’s been kicked out of multiple schools growing up, that would seem he would be an unlikely candidate, but whatever. People don’t read. He just released a new album titled Harverd Dropout to continue this rumor and yes you read that correctly. That’s how he spelled it. And apparently for promotional purposes, his label sent out a press release saying he was doing the Harvard commencement speech this year.
Now the most casual observer would raise their eyebrow when hearing A teen rapper would be giving not only a commencement speech but at Harvard. And one would think this information would be verified before reporting, right? Of course not. That’s too much work. But at the very least, one would expect that a prerequisite for being a university commencement speaker would be that you shuld at least be older than the graduates themselves. But the media ran with it anyway. He’s also been in the media for the last week in a viral video of a Miami police officer in his face yelling at the top of his lungs telling him to calm down while arresting him for disorderly conduct at the airport so even if he were their commencement speaker, that video alone would probably be a disqualifier. And FYI – people usually don’t promote major gigs in the midst of embarrassing coverage out of fear of the possibility of them being canceled.
The email from Warner Brothers about his commencement speech read as follows:
“As officially confirmed by WHRB Harvard Radio today, the multi-platinum selling modern icon and history-making teenage superstar will deliver the 2019 commencement speech at Harvard University. This honor places him in good company with a bevy of game-changers, thought leaders and Nobel Peace Prize winners throughout history who have addressed the graduating class of the world’s most prestigious university. Given his status at the forefront of the culture and position as a voice for the youth, Harvard University handpicked Pump to be its “youngest commencement speaker in history.” This serves as a testament to his undeniable influence on the current generation.”
This was followed up with a statement from Lil Pump who said “You don’t gotta graduate from Harvard to do this speech. I dropped out, so they called me like they called the guy that made Windows and PCs and s*** before I was born. You just need a cap and gown, which I got. When I found out, I was happy to give everyone a lesson. I’m all about the youth. Yes, they are the future. This is a preview of my speech, one word: ESSKEETIT!!!!!!”
Now to put this into perspective, previous Harvard commencement speakers have included Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates and J.K. Rowling. As of this moment, between inaccurate reporting on Jussie Smollett and journalists who don’t know the difference between bond and bail or that being released from jail is not the same as being granted bond, a common mistake we see every time a celebrity is going through the legal proceedings when incarcerated, we’re about ready to fire the media for not doing their jobs. smh
