NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Anyone who’s had a student loan, or has one right now, knows they’re NOT easy to pay off.  When you do, it’s just about the best feeling ever! A rapper from New Orleans knows that feeling well.  He’s going viral, after finally getting out from under Sallie Mae‘s thumb. Dee-1’s new music video, “Sallie Mae Back,” received more than a million views on Facebook is less than a week.  The rapper says it’s received more than 3 million through all of his social media platforms. Dee graduated from New Orleans’ Ben Franklin High School, then went on to Louisiana State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. After graduation, Dee-1 taught middle school in Baton Rouge to help fund his artistic dream.  It finally came true when the rapper recently signed a major record deal. Instead of spending his advance on jewelry or a new car, Dee-1 told WGNO via Skype, he chose to be more wise.

“At that point, that’s when a lot of artists they go buy a new car or tool, or they buy a bunch of jewelry, they get shiny, they get icy.  They might move, depending on how much you get.  I thought about it and I was like ‘man, I’m cool with driving my same old 1998 Honda.  I was like, I don’t need a car.  I said, Imma pay Sallie Mae back my student loans and get out of debt.  So, that’s what I did.”

And what better way to celebrate than with an epic music video, filmed on-campus at his alma mater? “I’m in the clear now. I’m no longer in the red so that felt great, and I wanted to make a song about it because I know a lot of people can relate to this.  It’s so many people who can’t wait til the day they pay Sallie Mae back.  They can feel how hyped I am in the video.” The folks at Sallie Mae even commented on Dee-1’s Facebook page, that they’re celebrating and singing right along with him! Our Anne Cutler reacted pretty much the exact same way when she paid off her student loan debt.  Follow her on Twitter @AnneCutler.