Lupe Fiasco‘s introductory lecture for his “Rap Theory & Practice” course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is available to watch online.
The Drill Music in Zion lyricist shared a video of the 90-minute lecture on Twitter on Tuesday (December 27) while announcing that registration for next semester’s course was now open.
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“Lupe Fiasco presents ‘Rap Theory & Practice: an Introduction,'” he wrote next to the clip. “CMS.S60 Rap Theory & Practice now available for 2023 Spring semester registration.”
Described as “an exploration into the underlying fundamental functions, structures, and principles of rap,” the introductory class found Lupe delving into the concept of “shapes and details” when it comes to writing rhymes and the power of “surprises,” among other topics.
Professor Lu also broke down lyrics from Eminem’s “Stan,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” and his own song “Jonylah Forever,” from 2018’s DROGAS Wave.
Lupe Fiasco was appointed as an MLK Visiting Professor at MIT in May. His placement at the university was announced alongside associate professor of theater Eunice Ferreira and documentary filmmaker Louis Massiah, with all three being deemed experts in arts and humanities.
“I been holding this for a while. I’ll put together something more sophisticated later that really captures the nuance and gravity but for now I’ll just say it straight and raw: I’m going to teach Rap at MIT,” Lupe tweeted following the announcement.
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He continued: “Syllabus isn’t built yet but I’m thinking its fruit to be had in looking at neuromorphic computation through the lens of Rap as a lossless data compression model with a dash of energy efficiency via refining Landauer’s principle applied to cytoarchitectonics. And some rapping…”
Lupe is just one of a number of Hip Hop icons who have added the title of professor to their résumé. In 2020, T.I. teamed up with Dr. Melva K. Williams to teach the “Business of Trap Music” course at Clark Atlanta University.
Famed producer 9th Wonder previously taught at North Carolina Central University, the University of Virginia, Duke University and other institutions, and is now set to teach at JAY-Z’s Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment at Long Island University.
Jermaine Dupri was among those who applauded Lupe Fiasco’s transition into academia, telling TMZ Hip Hop that he hopes the “Kick, Push” lyricist can inspire other rappers to transition into education.
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“If it’s in your body, if it’s your system you know cause the kids actually listen to us,” Dupri said. “They listen to us more than they listen to teachers so if it’s in you to do it then you should definitely do it.”
Watch Lupe Fiasco’s introductory lecture below:
