In an exciting announcement, Lupe Fiasco has been named a professor of Hip Hop at Johns Hopkins University. The Chicago rapper, who is already teaching Hip Hop courses at MIT and currently engaged in a fellowship at Yale, shared the news via Instagram on January 1.
In the post, Lupe donned a Johns Hopkins baseball cap and expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “Let’s hit the ground running in 2025… I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be joining the faculty at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Fall 2025 as a Distinguished Visiting Professor, teaching Rap as part of the groundbreaking new four-year Hip Hop Degree Program led by the innovative Professor @wendelpatrickofficialmusic.”
He continued, “The @peabodyinstitute is one of the oldest music conservatories in America, renowned for its rigorous training and for producing some of the greatest musicians in the world. I’m honored to contribute to this legacy while doing what I love most—Rap.”
Lupe also mentioned that he will continue his teaching role at MIT while pursuing his fellowship at Yale, aiming to elevate Rap studies within higher education. He concluded with a message for Baltimore, saying, “See you soon!”
The announcement garnered support from fellow artists in the comments, including Freeway, Robert Glasper, Bun B, and Twista, who celebrated Lupe’s new role.
At 42 years old, Lupe Fiasco had a prolific 2024, releasing his ninth album, Samurai, and briefly reviving his Child Rebel Soldier (CRS) project, initially formed with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. In an interview with Stereogum last summer, he hinted at rebooting CRS within the next year, stating, “Tyler, [The Creator] has one of the CRS records, but it’s gonna go back to the original energy, which was me rapping over Radiohead beats.”
Shortly after, he released “Shrink,” a freestyle over Radiohead’s track “Optimistic” from Kid A, but later had to remove it after receiving a cease-and-desist order from the band. Reflecting on the situation, Lupe shared, “Radiohead was like, ‘Fuck all that,’” during an appearance on Sway in the Morning, eliciting laughter from the host.
In the same interview, he humorously discussed the challenges of coordinating the CRS supergroup, joking about the extravagant lifestyles of his collaborators, saying, “P’s eating caviar golden sandwiches, Ye is stitching up two different Rick Owens coats to wear in the shower.”
He lamented that while there was significant fan momentum following their song “Us Placers,” the project eventually fell apart, attributing it to the complexities of wealth and fame altering their dynamics.
Stay tuned for more updates on Lupe Fiasco’s endeavors and contributions to Hip Hop education.
Copyright © 2025 HipHopRaisedMeTheBlog.com. All Rights Reserved.
