Rhyme and Reason: Lupe Fiasco Takes the Stage as Peabody’s Newest Visiting Professor

Students enrolled in the Peabody Institute‘s new four-year hip-hop curriculum will have the opportunity to refine their beats under the guidance of an industry expert: Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, more commonly recognized by his stage name, Lupe Fiasco.

The Grammy Award-winning artist will join Peabody as a distinguished visiting educator in the fall, instructing rap for bachelor of music students specializing in Hip Hop. The new degree offering, spearheaded by celebrated producer and musician Wendel Patrick, will adopt the one-on-one studio framework typical of a conservatory education, permitting students to receive private instruction and present public performances. Alongside music business and career preparation courses included in Peabody’s Breakthrough Curriculum, Hip Hop majors will also examine the history of hip-hop music and its cultural significance; evolutions in style, technique, and technology; as well as the genre’s social influence and implications.

For Patrick, recruiting Lupe Fiasco was an obvious choice.

“I first encountered Lupe during the summer of 2022 while I wrapped up my term as a Nas Fellow at Harvard University and Lupe was starting his role at MIT,” he remarks. “Since then, we’ve continued to connect and collaborate, and I’m incredibly excited to have Lupe join the Peabody Conservatory as the inaugural Hip Hop degree faculty member.

“My objective has consistently been to invite top-level practitioners to instruct and mentor the students in our program. Not only is Lupe one of the most talented and skillful rap practitioners globally, but he also demonstrates a profound commitment to artistic and personal exploration that can serve as an example for student artists in their own professional journeys. It was truly impactful to observe how effective Lupe’s teaching was and how he interacted with our students when he visited Peabody’s campus in the fall of 2023.”

Lupe Fiasco’s career soared with the launch of his 2006 debut album, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor. Nine albums and 12 Grammy nominations later—including a 2008 victory for Best Urban/Alternative Performance—he has positioned himself as a pioneering voice in rap. His songwriting frequently intertwines social commentary with narrative storytelling; his 2024 album Samurai, for instance, reimagines the late vocalist Amy Winehouse as a battle rapper and explores both her life and the risks of the entertainment industry through a fragmented narrative. His thought-provoking, socially aware music has earned him a Saybrook Fellowship at Yale University and a Henry Crown Fellowship at the Aspen Institute.

Education is not a new pursuit for Fiasco. He co-founded the Society of Spoken Art in 2015, an organization that offers aspiring rappers mentorship and insight into linguistics, semiotics, and communication theory. He is also an MLK Visiting Professor at MIT, where he teaches a course titled Rap Theory and Practice.

The Hub engaged with him to discuss his teaching philosophy and rap’s emerging presence in academia.

Could you elaborate a bit about the classes you’ll be offering in the fall?

My courses will center around rap. I’ll be teaching the craft I practice professionally. From what I gather, it’s distinct from the classes I teach at MIT, which are more structured and seminar-like. These sessions will be more individualized, akin to how I conduct office hours at MIT currently. Additionally, there will be masterclasses open to the public and the larger campus community. I will also take on various responsibilities beyond teaching rap, such as consulting on the program and engaging in other activities around campus. It will be an all-encompassing role.

I do not teach hip-hop. I wish to clarify that. I explicitly do not teach hip-hop, so it’s not a cultural studies course. I leave that aspect to the humanities departments. My classes exclusively focus on the techniques and skills required for rap. However, this necessitates an understanding of the canon from various eras, different artists, and diverse styles, all while developing your own style throughout the course. So [my lessons] will touch upon that, alongside insights I’ve gained from the industry and my experiences within the craft.

What will one-on-one rap lessons entail?

I aim to customize [my teaching approach] according to the institution. At SOSA, all participants are already engaged in rapping, so it’s about refining specific techniques and introducing them to concepts beyond rap, such as linguistics and communication theory. Conversely, at MIT, some students may be entirely new to rap, necessitating an introductory education on what rap entails, along with practices tailored to that level and their expectations. I’m instructing nuclear physicists and mathematics experts about rap, thus some lessons will leverage what MIT offers in terms of lab spaces and technology.

Peabody, in contrast, is a conservatory. The expectation is that students have a foundational skill set; they are not beginning from scratch. They should be proficient in freestyling, songwriting across various genres, and capable of crafting intricate worlds within songs. [Lessons will be] tailored to each student’s specific needs while also presenting challenges and exposing them to diverse literary practices—elements that reflect my unique style as both an artist and educator.

Rap and hip-hop studies are relatively recent additions to academic institutions. Why are these programs vital?

To begin with, I acquired my rapping skills in an academic setting. In high school, we didn’t have a hip-hop department—we were the hip-hop department, the students who gathered to rap after school. It was like, ‘Hey, here’s the verse I composed last night. Let me share it and see if it resonates with my fellow rappers.’ For me, rap has always existed within the academic realm.

Fast forward to eight or nine years ago, we initiated SOSA, which aims to rekindle that same spirit. There’s something particularly invigorating about the intersection of academia and creativity. As much as people might assume these are two separate domains, I believe that establishing an educational structure around creative endeavors provides a certain framework while also affording students a safe environment to explore.

a secure environment to investigate and discover various mentors. There’s something about being in that environment that genuinely offers a more robust, consistent skillset than merely acquiring it informally in the wild.

You talked about establishing criteria for education. Since there are few, if any, conservatories instructing in rap currently, you’re trailblazing and creating the benchmarks for this type of teaching. What is that experience like for you?

That was one of the motivations for me to accept the position. This [program] has been in development for several years. In fact, Wendel Patrick has been at Johns Hopkins for some time now [teaching Hip Hop Music Production: History and Practice]. And [during his tenure at] other institutions, he pioneered the initial courses in hip-hop production. Over the last few years, he’s discussed enhancing his course into a comprehensive degree program. When he shared that idea with me—we actually convened in Cambridge, where he was at Harvard and I was at MIT—he proposed it and I thought, if you all can get it moving and receive approval from the state of Maryland, I’m in, just let me know, I’ll be there.

To your earlier point, recognizing that it’s foundational, one of the most esteemed music conservatories globally, taking the initiative to offer a full-fledged hip-hop bachelor’s degree, I thought, yes, I cannot let this opportunity pass by. Even with the increased workload [of teaching at MIT], I knew I had to be part of that and contribute to its development.

Earlier you stated that you expect your students to be acquainted with the rap canon. Who are a few artists you believe anyone serious about a career in rap should listen to?

Aesop Rock, Homeboy Sandman, MF Doom … [their music exemplifies] pure technical stylistic concept execution throughout. Additionally, I want to evoke some nostalgia, so let’s also mention Melle Mel from the Furious Five.