Tayyib Smith’s Institute of Hip Hop Entrepreneurship landed a nod from CNN

There is no genre of music, no product of American culture that perpetuates the values of entrepreneurship more than hip hop. Little Giant Creative founder Tayyib Smith decided to turn that spirit into an educational institution.

And he’s doing it with $308,640 from the Knight Foundation.

Smith’s Institute of Hip Hop Entrepreneurship, which pulls business lessons from 40 years of entrepreneurship lessons the genre has to offer, was one of four Philly recipients of the Knight Cities Challenge.

But of all the grantees, Smith’s project has become the most high-profile. The Institute was recently the subject of a profile in CNNMoney that delves into what the Institute is, how it came to be, and a bit into Smith’s past.

Smith expects the first class of 36 aspiring entrepreneurs to begin classes in the fall.