Rapper Lupe Fiasco has announced that he will be a part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) MLK Visiting Professor Program for the 2022-2023 school year.
On Friday, the MC said he held this news for a while before the announcement.
Lupe shared the news on his Twitter account to 1.1 million fans that he will be teaching at MIT during the next school year.
“I been holding this for a while,” Lupe said. “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”
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
🥲
— “DRILL MUSIC IN ZION” JUNE 24th (@LupeFiasco) May 20, 2022
Twitter users reacted to the news with excitement for the Drogas Wave rapper, congratulating him on this new endeavor and even mentioning taking up one of his classes themselves.
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!! this is beyond major for hiphop, and theres no one better for this than my big brother Lu!!! love u bro inshallah you do great
— Unicornbountyhunters (@unicornbounty) May 20, 2022
Lupe Fiasco was just appointed as a Professor of Rap at MIT. He’ll be teaching his very own course there in 2022-23. MIT is recognized by many as the #1 university in the world.
This proves how advanced his skill set is as an emcee. He’s truly in a league of his own.
— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) May 21, 2022
The students who get to take Lupe Fiasco’s new course at MIT are lucky. That dude is brilliant.
— Dan Runcie (@RuncieDan) May 24, 2022
I am sure your plate is gonna be full and I hope to connect with you at some point.
I work at Sloan in our DEI office. It would be dope to collaborate on …. ANYTHING.
Sincerely
Fellow Educator, MIT employee, HipHopEd researcher, and fan for the longest
— Austin A. Ashe 🇺🇳 ♐👨🏾💻 (@aaashe) May 20, 2022
about to sign up for this lupe fiasco mit class.
— trippy. hippie. (@theoutsider_ke) May 23, 2022
Lupe previously spent time as a 2020-21 Visiting Artist at the school. He teamed up with Nick Montfort, the Professor of Digital Media, to speak on the intersection of rap, computing, and activism.
According to the school’s website, Lupe’s interests in cognitive science, linguistics, semiotics, and computing were exhibited in his work as a musician and producer.
“During his CAST residency, he shares insights from his work as an entrepreneur and community advocate,” the website read. “for instance working with the Society of Spoken Art (SOSA), an educational guild for aspiring and established rappers, of which he is a co-founder.”
Montfort and Fiasco also organize “Code Cypher,” a one-day creative coding event that engages teams of MIT students in fall 2021.