Jay Z’s Secret Weapon Packs His Bags, Heads Out To Cali

Rap mogul Jay Z's personal sound engineer Young Guru has reportedly accepted a position at the University of South California's music division to help students learn more about the technical side of production.

According to reports, Guru will be active for the 2013-2014 academic school year.

Producer/Dj Young Guru is set to take up residency at the University of Southern California for the upcoming school year (13/14) to help the college develop a degree programme in musicproduction. The music engineer, who has worked extensively with Jay Z, Beyonce and Kanye West, will join the faculty at USC Thornton’s Contemporary Music Division as an artist-in-residence, and will lecture students studying different genres of music, the industry and songwriting. This isn’t the first college class Guru has taught. He also lectured at New York University, Emory and Drexel, among others. (Contact Music)

The behind-the-scenes music genius has already revealed what his duties will consist of.

“The class that I’m teaching will start with the basic foundations of sound and move all the way up to engineering and mixing and mastering and what some of those ideas and concepts are. I’m even more excited to help the university develop a program that will encompass everything of music — the business and the technology; the music is just one part of it. In order to be successful in today’s business, not only do you have to know how to make the music but you also have to know how to get that music out.” (Los Angeles Times)

Guru also stressed the importance of students realizing his emphasis in the classroom will go beyond just hip-hop.

“It’s definitely going to focus on production a lot. But I want to be super clear that it’s not just a quote-unquote “hip-hop-based course,” just because I represent hip-hop. It’s for any musical genre, whether or not you’re recording your gospel choir, your rock ‘n’ roll band or jazz band, or whether you’re an electronic music maker. All of it will delve into music production.” (Los Angeles Times)

Back in May, music moguls Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine donated millions of dollars to the University of Southern California.

The huge gift from the two who have been music business partners in the past will be used to create the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. The academy will provide a special four-year program for undergraduates whose interests span several fields from marketing to computer science to visual design and other arts. It will include one-on-one faculty mentoring with professors from programs around the university and interaction with entertainment industry luminaries. (Fox News)

Could you use some fresh gear? Is your clothing in dire need of an upgrade? Check out today’s SOHH 5 Reasons for why you should add Rich & Rotten to your wardrobe!