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.
“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.
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.
“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:
Recently got on the Em train. Guy is sick with the flows
Good for u. He is an amazing man and takes u on a journey with his raps. He makes me laugh, cry and think. He helps younger rappers on his albums that may not get the exposure. He is humble and grateful.
This lecture on rap was absolutely incredible.
Eminem is the goat
That’s so right don’t take any Thing from him
This is the dumbest shit I ever heard ….rap is music not a coding or binary code …if a everyday mf can’t understand and you need a MIT degree to understand wtf this ENTERTAINER is saying then it no longer entertainment but a fuck class in foreign language or music…Rap was made first off so Everyone that heard it could relate …period and interprete a simple dialect to their simple life… If I got to read Kendrick them shit like a Bible lmao…bruh u ain’t no God or mystery u not complicated …. Stop tryna make your shit highly intellectual or relevant. U do nursery rhythm with a mic….if others want to look up to you a Godly embolism that’s their stupidity….but if I can’t understand your message in 3 to 4 mines in a song ..I’ll take music theory in college again fk all this fr. That’s what made Biggie ..Tupac great they said it we heard it we understood it. From Phd to felonies we heard them ..with out a interpreter..LMAO y’all lame af
This is the dumbest shit I ever heard ….rap is music not a coding or binary code …if a everyday mf can’t understand and you need a MIT degree to understand wtf this ENTERTAINER is saying then it no longer entertainment but a class in foreign language or music…Rap was made first off so Everyone that heard it could relate …period and interprete a simple dialect to their simple life… If I got to read Kendrick them shit like a Bible lmao…bruh u ain’t no God or mystery u not complicated …. Stop tryna make your shit highly intellectual or relevant. U do nursery rhythm with a mic….if others want to look up to you as a Godly embolism that’s their stupidity….but if I can’t understand your message in 3 to 4 minutes in a song ..I’ll take music theory in college again fk all this fr. That’s what made Biggie ..Tupac great they said it we heard it we understood it. From Phd to felonies we heard them ..with out a interpreter..LMAO y’all lame af
Damn my nig….you could’ve kept it fundamental and brought it back to “If you don’t have anything nice to say….don’t say anything.”. The fact that Hip Hop originally began as a form of expression to now being a course taken at some of the most prestigious collegiate institutions is a sign of growth within the human species. Lyricism has grown to be much more complex over the years. It has predicted events and correlates to third dimension happenings in real time while listening if you’re attentive enough. Lyrics and Hip Hop are an extension of hieroglyphics.😎
You clearly didn’t listen to the entire lecture from Lupe lol. If you did then you would have kept this silly comment to yourself. Lupe is helping students become better rappers by understanding that lyrical depth, word placement, structure, and the element of surprise matters in rap. The final project for each student is development of a full rap EP album. He is also there to listen to and provide guidance to students as aspiring rappers to help them become better with the art. Not just rap for the sake of rapping but understanding the importance of word structure and how those words may positively or negatively impact the listener of your lyrics.
Loved your comment
(To anyone with a negative comment) “Damn my nig….you could’ve kept it fundamental and brought it back to “If you don’t have anything nice to say….don’t say anything.”. The fact that Hip Hop originally began as a form of expression to now being a course taken at some of the most prestigious collegiate institutions is a sign of growth within the human species. Lyricism has grown to be much more complex over the years. It has predicted events and correlates to third dimension happenings in real time while listening if you’re attentive enough. Lyrics and Hip Hop are an extension of hieroglyphics.”😎
It’s amazing when the same piece of art is appreciated by a simpleton and a braniac. Not everyone can understand or appreciate the nuances and that’s ok. I don’t know what Lupe’s talking about in his announcement but I’m intrigued…
I think this is amazing. I’m 63 and love rap music. The stories that r shared, the rawness and passion.