Once I sat down with Craig A. King, music government, educator and co-founder of Rap Plug Academy, his power was electrical, like somebody who is aware of he’s standing on the intersection of legacy and future. For King, this summer season isn’t simply one other program. It’s a portal.
“I didn’t need these college students to simply hear about success,” he tells rolling out, leaning ahead with conviction. “I needed them to see it, contact it and ask it questions.”
By a groundbreaking partnership with the Metropolis of Atlanta’s Summer season Youth Employment Program (S.Y.E.P.), Rap Plug Academy has opened its doorways, and town, to a bunch of Atlanta Public Faculties college students who at the moment are getting the sort of business entry most adults dream about. Over the course of the summer season, interns have moved by way of the again halls of State Farm Area, sat in periods at LVRN, obtained a real-world breakdown from Morgan Stanley and realized storytelling methods at Milk and Cookies.
The architect’s imaginative and prescient
Craig King’s musical pedigree runs deep; collaborations with Kanye West, Quincy Jones, Aaliyah and Timbaland sit on his résumé like platinum plaques. However as a substitute of holding that have shut, he’s flipping it into curriculum.
“I created Rap Plug Masterclasses to interrupt down boundaries,” he explains. “Not everybody desires to rap or sing. We’re instructing them there are over 50 careers on this business that don’t require a mic — streaming technique, AI in music, model advertising, content material creation. That is possession schooling.”
And King isn’t simply instructing; it’s clear he’s planting seeds.
A seat on the desk: scholar perspective
One of many college students, Edris, stated strolling into locations like Jay Carter’s One Music Fest headquarters wasn’t only a tour, it was a spark.
“They noticed us. They didn’t speak right down to us. They broke the sport down.”
One other scholar initially signed up pondering he’d simply get some money over the summer season. However issues modified shortly.
“We met Mike Will Made It final week,” he stated. “He informed us how he constructed his first beat in his bed room, and now he’s working with Kendrick and Miley. I didn’t assume somebody from Atlanta may actually go international like that, till I heard it from him direct.”
“Craig King informed us, ‘You’re not simply future execs. You’re present creators.’ That hit me totally different.”
Bridging legacy and innovation
Backed by The Dwelling Legends Basis Inc., chaired by David Linton, this system stands agency in preserving Black music’s previous whereas constructing new lanes for its future.
“These college students are studying how you can pitch, how you can current, how you can produce — and how you can shield their concepts,” says King. “They’re studying AI by way of music. Coding by way of beats. Their concepts are sharp. We simply wanted to create the desk.”
By its partnership with ALX, an African-based on-line college, Rap Plug Academy is already pondering globally. With collaborations extending to Johannesburg, Ghana and Nigeria, the academy’s curriculum will outlive the summer season — and so will the mindset it’s cultivating.
What’s subsequent
Earlier than we wrapped up our interview, Craig King leaned again and smiled. “This isn’t about movie star. It’s about entry. We’re normalizing excellence.”
For this cohort of scholars, that entry has already reshaped what’s potential. And for Atlanta, this isn’t only a summer season job. It’s the start of a brand new era of cultural architects — grounded, educated and plugged in.