Hip Hop Sisters Foundation (HHSF) CEO/Founder MC Lyte, Advisory Board Members Russell Simmons and Salt, University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Damon A. Williams, and HHSF President Lynn Richardson are pleased to announce a new $100,000 hip-hop scholarship partnership that will enable one college-bound student to pursue a bachelor’s degree from one of the world’s top academic institutions – the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A press conference and reception will take place at the office of Rush Communications on Thursday September 6th 2012 to announce the scholarship. The recipient will hold one of the competitive First Wave Scholar slots in the only higher education program of its kind to incorporate hip-hop artistry at the college level. Freshman who plan to enroll in college in the Fall of 2013 are invited to apply for the MC Lyte / UW Madison $100,000 First Wave Scholarship Presented by Hip Hop Sisters Foundation at www.hiphopsisters.org. The application deadline is October 1, 2012 and the winner will be announced by MC Lyte and HHSF in collaboration with this year’s Soul Train Music Awards.

“For years I "ve dreamed of having the ability to help our community and now finally the day has arrived,” said MC Lyte. “HHSF is about changing lives and truly encouraging several generations that have been and are influenced by hip-hop culture. It is my life "s mission to see those who believe, actually see their dreams come to fruition. Helping the younger generation see their strengths and potential is what my goals are for this foundation. This scholarship partnership with UW-Madison is just the beginning for what HHSF has in store.”

A full-tuition First Wave scholarship has been named for the legendary pioneer for women in hip-hop, MC Lyte. This partnership will enhance the recruitment of the seventh cohort of the First Wave Learning Community, which launched in 2007 and currently has 65 scholars pursuing degrees in topics from theater & drama to science. For UW-Madison’s First Wave, “the partnership is another step toward strengthening the educational, social justice and empowerment aspects embodied by hip-hop,” said Willie Ney, Founder and Executive Director of the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) and First Wave. “Over time,” Williams added, “we know that this relationship will allow us to accelerate our efforts to educate the world’s next generation of innovators, artists and community builders who will lead the next generation of game-changing UW-Madison alumni.”

Russell Simmons, Global Grind founder, HHSF advisory board member and co-founder of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network praised the Hip Hop Sisters Foundation for its strong legacy of being a national voice that reverberates with the truest heartbeat and pulse of the global hip-hop community. “This partnership signals an opportunity to help young people influenced by hip hop culture think of education as an achievable goal rather than a phantom wish reserved only for the lucky," said Simmons.

“The UW-Madison MC Lyte partnership presents us with an amazing opportunity to align ourselves with one of the nation’s hip-hop pioneers and a continuing presence in the lives of young people through her work with the Hip Hop Sisters Network,” Williams said. “This relationship will not only strengthen the academic possibilities of the network, but allow UW-Madison to create a deeper connection with the hip-hop generation.”

“MC Lyte’s focus on academic excellence, artistic integrity and community involvement mirror the three “A’s” of First Wave which are academics, arts and activism,” Ney said. “Combining the top young artists in the nation in the world’s first and only full-tuition scholarship program for spoken word and hip-hop artists with a global icon like MC Lyte and the Hip Hop Sisters Network brand is a natural evolution for our revolutionary program. We foresee great things developing from this relationship, developing from this relationship, including professional development opportunities for our students, greater visibility for our program and the establishment of a broader and deeper pool of talent for our scholarship initiatives.”

The UW-Madison First Wave/MC Lyte scholarship announcement builds on the empowerment work of the Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, which has already has already launched a national relationship with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. to decrease the negative effects of teen pregnancy, and is planning the first ever Hip Hop Sisters Expressions of Life Summer Education Institute for Girls, where celebrity advisory board members and educational, health, and financial experts will empower over 250 young women as they enter young adulthood.