Lupe Fiasco, July 8, 2023, at Riverbend Live in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
Hip-hop artist, record producer, and entrepreneur Lupe Fiasco is set to become a Saybrook Associate Fellow at Yale University in the fall of 2023.
This distinguished program allows Fellows and Associate Fellows to engage with students and each other over a four-year term.
Fiasco’s appointment is seen as an opportunity for students to engage with an accomplished hip-hop artist and lyricist, and Yale is working with him to set up lectures, talks, and potentially even a course to teach.
Saybrook’s Fellowship program, as described by Head of College Thomas Near, functions like a college “social network” that enables students to connect with specific Fellows who align with their individual interests and areas of expertise. Each year, colleges have the opportunity to nominate and appoint non-Yale employees as Associate Fellows. In this particular year, Near nominated Lupe Fiasco for this role, Yale Daily News reported.
“He’s a big fan of Yale because he’s essentially participated in every one of the Open Yale Courses online on YouTube,” Near explained.
This isn’t his first experience at a prestigious institution of higher education.
Fiasco, who was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco in Chicago, was a visiting scholar and artist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology between 2020 and 2023. He collaborated with faculty to study the neurophysiology of spoken word art and rap.
His journey to becoming a Yale Fellow began when he met Yale Assistant Professor Brandon Ogbunu at MIT. Fiasco was nominated as an Associate Fellow at Yale, Billboard reported.
Fiasco he taught a course at MIT called Rap Theory and Practice, a technical exploration into the creation of rap music.
At 19-year-old Fiasco started on his path to hip-hop stardom. He joined a short-lived group called Da Pak, but soon after met rapper Jay-Z who helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records.
In September 2006, Fiasco released his debut album “Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor” and it earned three Grammy nominations. His second album, “Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool,” dropped in December 2007. The lead single “Superstar” became his first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. His third album, “Lasers,” was released in May 2011 and became his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. His latest album, “Drill Music in Zion,” was released in June 2022.
He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco was the chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He runs two clothing lines, Righteous Kung-Fu and Trilly & Truly; and he has designed sneakers for Reebok.
Lupe Fiasco acknowledges the crowd as he performs, July 8, 2023, at Riverbend Live in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
