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Life Imitating Meme: Rapper Lil Pump Will Speak At Harvard This Week

Lil Pump performs in concert at Barclays Center on Dec. 29, 2018, in New York. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Lil Pump performs in concert at Barclays Center on Dec. 29, 2018, in New York. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

In a strangely satiating case of life imitating meme, 18-year-old rapper Lil Pump will speak at Harvard this week.

The event, which is hosted by Harvard radio station WHRB and is exclusively for undergraduates of the university, takes place Thursday evening. The rapper will host a Q&A, speak about his new album "Harverd Dropout" and offer exclusive merchandise.

The reason it’s so satisfying is that, on Monday morning, Lil Pump’s label fooled several publications when it sent out a news release claiming he’d be speaking at Harvard’s commencement in May.

Many were quick to point out that German chancellor Angela Merkel has the honor this year, while some publications quickly ran with the story, causing confusion — and laughs.

The rapper is known for his lighthearted trolling. Part of his mythos revolves around a self-created rumor that he dropped out of Harvard (which he never attended to begin with), and his latest album’s title, "Harverd Dropout" plays into the false, tongue-in-cheek narrative.

In the press release, the “Gucci Gang” singer 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!!!!!!" For readers who don't speak SoundCloud rap, “esskeeetit” means “let’s get it.”

The Harvard Radio Broadcasting Program Director Allison Pao said Lil Pump will be taking over the air waves of the radio station on Friday. "Lil Pump being the voice of the youth — it's really cool that he chose to work with us instead of Harvard administration directly."

Related:

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Eduardo Cepeda Music Writer
Eduardo Cepeda is a music and culture writer living in Boston.

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