Did you know that Ludacris graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia State University ?

Rap and Hip Hop Stars Who Went to College

Everybody knows that Kanye West decided he was better off without higher education - see his incredibly successful album, ''College Dropout''. But what about the rappers who stayed in school? Being educated may not be part of the hip hop image, but it has helped a lot of high-profile rappers achieve success.

Did you know these Rap Stars have Degrees?

Actually, not everyone on this list has graduated. But every hip hop artist below either got her degree, is currently attending college or, like Common, has acknowledged his years in school as an element of his success.

• Lil Wayne attended the University of Houston (UH), but hails from New Orleans. At the tender age of 11 Wayne met rapper Bryan Williams, owner of Cash Money Records, who mentored him through his teen years. Wayne began releasing solo albums in 1999, but didn't achieve his current level of super-popularity until his 2004 album 'Tha Carter.' He's received one Grammy and been nominated for eight others.

• Roxanne Shante didn't just go to college - she got Warner Music to put her all the way through her PhD at Cornell. Coming out of Queens, New York, Shante achieved early success as a teenager with her biggest hit, 'Roxanne's Revenge.' She continued to perform with other artists through the late 1980s until she retired from music at age 25 in order to pursue a career as a psychologist.

• Ludacris graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia State University (GSU). He got his start in Atlanta, Georgia as radio DJ Chris Lova Lova. In 2000, he and his manager co-founded Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam, and he released his first major solo album, 'Back for the First Time.' Luda has subsequently released several hugely popular records, including the quintessential modern rap album 'Chicken-n-Beer.'

• David Banner has a bachelor's degree in business from Southern University - and a master's in education from the University of Maryland. Banner, hailing from Jackson, Mississippi, achieved his first major musical success in 2003 with 'Mississippi: The Album.' His professional achievements also include acting, record producing and philanthropy. In 2006, Banner received a Visionary Award from the National Black Caucus of the State Legislature for his work after Hurricane Katrina.

• Talib Kweli studied experimental theater at New York University (NYU). It's no surprise that Kweli went to college - he was raised in Brooklyn by two professors. Kweli first appeared on the rap scene in 1997, and released his debut solo album, 'Train of Thought' in 2002.

• Sean Combs, better known as Puff Daddy or P. Diddy, went to Howard University. One of today's biggest rap stars, Combs has three Grammy Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and a successful clothing line. He got his music industry start in New York City as an intern at Uptown Records, where he later became a top executive.

• Paul Wall went to UH. Wall was a local boy, raised in Houston and rapping in classic deep South style. He's been affiliated with Swishahouse Records for many years, but didn't achieve widespread success until Atlantic Records released his 2005 album, 'The People's Champ.'

• M.I.A. graduated from London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. She's of Tamil descent, and spent her early years living in Sri Lanka. Due to political turmoil, M.I.A. and her mother and siblings became refugees in London in the late 1980s. M.I.A. started out as a visual artist, embarking on her musical career after electroclash artist Peaches introduced her to the drum machine. She rocketed to musical popularity with the single 'Galang' in 2003.

• Ice Cube studied architectural drafting at the Pheonix Institute of Technology. He was raised in South Central Los Angeles, and got his musical start with legendary rap group N.W.A. Ice Cube's solo debut, 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted,' became an instant hit in 1990, and he's sustained a successful music and acting career ever since.

• Flavor Flav graduated from Adelphi University. Flav is another old school rap legend. A founding member of the rap group Public Enemy, he hails from Long Island and began his career back in 1984.

• Chuck D, another founding member of Public Enemy, got his degree in graphic design from Adelphi University. He's a New York native who's been credited as one of the earliest socially and politically conscious rappers.

• Rah Digga, who's from Newark, went to the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She became famous as a member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. In 2007 she left the Squad on good terms to work on her solo career.

• Common, formerly known as Common Sense, studied business at Florida A&M University. Hailing from Chicago, Common credits his time in Florida for exposing him to southern style hip hop. His first solo album came out in 1992, but he didn't achieve major acclaim until the early '00s, when he won two Grammies and started acting in major films.

• Sabzi and Geologic, who make up Blue Scholars, met as students at the University of Washington (UW), where they were both part of The SHOW (Student Hip Hop Organization of Washington). This socially conscious hip duo has been rapping in Seattle since 2002.

• E-40 studied at Grambling. He was raised in Vallejo, started rapping with Bay area rap group The Click and released his first solo album in 1993. E-40 achieved mainstream success two years later with 'In a Major Way,' and has subsequently released over ten albums.

• Plies has a nursing degree. Born and raised in Florida, he started his music career as a producer with his brother on their independent label Big Gates Records. His first rap album, 'The Real Testament,' was released in 2007.

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