‘Oh Boy!’ Juelz Santana Says Financial Literacy Trumps Reading

Rapper Juelz Santana says that reading is not an essential skill for youth; financial literacy and math are the only educational requirements. 

Santana, whose legal name is LaRon Louis James, made the remarks during a segment on the No Funny Business Podcast. When asked about which foundation skill was most important, “reading or math,” the rapper chose math. He then argued that technology, particularly voice-to-text features in devices and artificial intelligence, negates the need for traditional literacy.

“I feel like reading is not necessary,” Santana said during the interview. “You ain’t gonna need it. You ain’t gonna need to know how to read.”

The rapper insisted that voice commands and automated systems will eliminate the need for individuals to interpret written text physically. Still, the rapper does acknowledge the importance of basic reading skills and does not advocate full-blown illiteracy.

“Respectfully, I’m not saying that in a way to be illiterate because you’re not supposed to be illiterate, but . . . I think you could listen to a book on YouTube. You can still obtain the information,” he stated. 

Santana says there are different forms of intelligence he values above reading, with “common sense” being the highest. 

The Whistle Song rapper’s comments arrive at a time when national data reveal concerning achievement gaps in literacy, particularly affecting Black children and adults.

According to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which gauges student performance nationwide, significant disparities persist in reading proficiency. The NAEP’s 2022 assessment showed that only 17% of Black fourth-grade students scored at or above the proficiency level in reading, compared to 42% of white students. This achievement gap between the two groups has remained essentially unchanged for more than two decades.

Research repeatedly connects these low literacy levels to a cycle of reduced income, higher unemployment rates, and poorer health outcomes, particularly in urban areas where racial and socioeconomic inequality is often concentrated.

Rhetoric that dismisses the need for strong reading skills threatens to exacerbate the literacy decline. An analysis by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy estimated in 2020 that raising every American adult’s literacy rate to a sixth-grade level could generate an additional $2.2 trillion annually for the U.S. economy, framing the issue as a critical economic and social challenge.

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