Hindi Hip-Hop Video Dispels ‘MBA Hype’ For Non-English Speakers

MBA Rap Video

A screen shot from MBA Crystal Ball’s ‘MBA Rap Song.’

The 2-minute, 55-second informational video is different from other content you’d expect to find at an MBA admissions site. For one, it’s a hip-hop video, complete with slick rhymes, mad flow, and an explicit content warning: “Rated R: bad vocals, tapori lingo, vivid visuals may distract you from the serious message.”

For another thing, it’s all in Hindi.

While English is the dominant language in business education, Hindi is the first language of about 425 million Indian people and the country’s official language (along with English). India is also one of the largest markets in the world for management education, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council, and B-school applications are exploding in the country.

Sameer Kamat, an MBA admissions consultant and founder of MBA Crystal Ball, already knew that there was often a disconnect between what Indian MBA candidates expect from an international business degree and what international business schools can offer. He’s written about it in his blog, and it was the subject of his book, Beyond The MBA Hype.

‘THE CELEB AMONG ALL ACADEMIC DEGREES’

“The MBA degree has become the celeb among all academic degrees, enjoying demigod status. No other degree commands the insane salaries, the larger-than-life success stories and disproportionate amount of media coverage,” writes Kamat, who also founded an Indian careers site called Careerizma.

“Unfortunately, a large number of candidates get carried away by the hype. The thought that an MBA degree carries the same (if not more) risks as any other degree never crosses their mind. The same over-optimistic folks end up burning their fingers and life-savings.”

Kamat also knew that disconnect was more pronounced in Hindi speakers who didn’t have access to good MBA information in their native language.

His solution: The MBA Rap Song. Take a listen in the video below.

A HINDI RAP STAR IN THE MAKING?

Kamat’s rap, which he wrote and performs himself, tells the story of an Indian candidate with little interest in academics who becomes infatuated with the soaring MBA salaries advertised by top programs and in top industries. The candidate dives into an international program with little research or risk planning and … well, just watch the video for yourself.

Although Kamat raps in Hindi, which he speaks fluently along with four other languages, the video includes English subtitles so the message isn’t lost in translation. The rhymes, however, aren’t as tight.

I’ve learnt my lesson about studying abroad
Without the right research, your plans will fall flat
Everyone expects to find golden eggs
But the mythical hen remains elusive

Intrigued? So were we. We sent some questions to Sameer Kamat – founder, CEO and, just maybe, a rising Hindi rap star. See his answers on the following page. You can also read more of the MBA Rap Song’s backstory here.

NEXT Page: Poets&Quants’ Q&A with Sameer Kamat, founder and CEO of MBA Crystal Ball.

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