Today, Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, producer and educator Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton announced he will sponsor a full-tuition scholarship for a prospective student pursuing a degree at the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University (LIU).

Guru, who also serves as the Director of the Music Technology, Entrepreneurship & Production program at the Roc Nation School, encourages applicants to apply for the scholarship beginning today. To be eligible, applicants must be seeking enrollment at the Roc Nation School for the Fall 2026 semester.

In addition to receiving full tuition for four years, the scholarship recipient will have the opportunity to shadow Young Guru throughout the academic year and work one-on-one with him in the Roc Nation School’s state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos-enabled Professional Studio. The recipient will also be eligible for professional mentorship in the Dean’s Scholars Program, providing access to professional mentorship, networking opportunities and exclusive career development programming.

“Education and mentorship have always been at the heart of everything I do,” said Young Guru. “This scholarship is about creating opportunities for the next generation of music industry professionals. I want these students to not only receive an incredible education, but also gain real-world experience, build meaningful relationships and leave prepared to shape the future of our industry.”

Young Guru previously offered a full tuition scholarship to a student in 2022. He’s is a part of a growing roster of artists, athletes and industry leaders who have established scholarships for students attending the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment at LIU, including Grammy-winning musician, record executive and entrepreneur DJ Khaled, Grammy Award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion and NBA All-Star LaMelo Ball.

Earlier this month, Young Guru provided a free masterclass called ‘Inside the Mix: Young Guru in the Studio,’ an exclusive New York Music Month event from inside the Dolby Atmos studio at the Roc Nation School. During this intimate masterclass, attendees got a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creative and technical processes behind some of music’s most iconic records.

 

YOUNG GURU:

Revered as “The Sound of New York”, Gimel Keaton, better known as Young Guru, possesses over a decade of experience in sound engineering, production, and A&R for the acclaimed Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Records. Young Guru has mixed 10 of Jay-Z’s 12 albums, and has earned himself a number of shout-outs on Jay-Z’s tracks paying homage to his exceptional skills behind the boards.

Known as one of the most notable engineers in the history of Pop and Hip Hop music, Young Guru officially became Jay-Z’s tour DJ for the ‘Watch The Throne’ world tour featuring Jay-Z and Kanye West, in 2010. Over the years Young Guru has been a major part of several artists’ careers in addition to Jay-Z, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ludacris, Ghostface Killah, Freeway, Cam’ron, Redman & Method Man, Mariah Carey, Pete Rock, Fabolous, Talib Kweli, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and T.I.