eSports

DMV area rapper Cordae has been busy cooking up the follow-up to his Grammy-nominated debut album The Lost Boy but starting next week, he’ll be taking a break to head to college — that is, on his Kickin’ It With Cordae HBCU campus tour in partnership with nonprofit Cxmmunity and Coca-Cola. In addition to previewing new music in live performances at each of the schools in question, he’ll also be participating in one of many college students’ favorite pastimes: Gaming.

Partnering with each school’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference eSports program, Cordae will host a “Gaming, Music And Conversations With Cordae” discussion as well as competing with students in games directly. It’s a nifty tie-in to his rise to fame, which was boosted by his association with the YBN crew, which started as a group of online gamers who eventually decided to make music together. It also dovetails nicely with Cordae’s established involvement in educational initiatives, especially those focused on HBCUs.

Earlier this summer, Cordae partnered with Disney Dreamers Academy and ESPN’s The Undefeated by funding scholarships for HBCU students. Growing up as he did in Suitland, Maryland, he was relatively close to renowned institutions like Howard University (which is also one of his tour stops), which could have had a big impact on him in establishing the importance of education. You can check out the tour dates below.