The Knowledge for College Tour began on October 10th in Cincinnati Ohio, sponsored by Sallie Mae. With each school tour stop, Dee-1 is blessing one student in attendance with a $5,000 scholarship check towards their collegiate studies. 

This tour has also opened other doors and opportunities. Per the Washington Post publication, Dee-1 has collaborated with the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to help train and educate students to manage student loan repayment effectively. He has transitioned from college graduate, to a teacher of two years and finally into a radical hip-hop artist full of innovation.
 
Dee-1 sums up his influence in an interview with NOLA: "At this point, I know I'm bigger than just a label affiliation and all that type of stuff, and I think the body of work actually speaks for itself. Kirk Franklin doesn't make songs like 'Sallie Mae Back.'"
 
After Dee-1 signed a record deal with RCA back in 2014, he didn't follow the typical spending splurge of a new artist with expensive "toys," cars or "keeping up with the Joneses." Instead, Dee-1 focused and paid off his outstanding student loans owed to Sallie Mae. Experiencing the heavy weight of financial burden lifted, college students were blessed with the anthem "Sallie Mae Back" 18 months thereafter.   
 
As a former middle school math teacher, Dee-1 realized how important financial competency is from pre-teen years through adulthood. He wanted to impact students through teaching, but couldn't ignore the greater power and influence hip-hop had on his students and youth nationwide. Now through his partnership with Sallie Mae, Dee-1 uses his experiences as a hip-hop artist and educator to motivate others to fulfill their life calling and live with what he calls "mission vision." He strives to be real, righteous and relevant, and to be an artist that his students can be proud of.
 
Dee-1 took it a step further on October 19, releasing a new track "No Car Note." He's addressing the financial heavyweights plaguing his listeners, fans and students alike across the nation. You can listen to the new track here. 
 
To see more of what the initiative entails and to bring Dee-1 to YOUR school, you can check Sallie Mae's official website: Sallie.cc/Dee1Knowledge.

 

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