Lupe Fiasco is joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute this fall.
In a statement shared to Instagram this week, the Grammy winner said that he was “thrilled” to reveal his position at the conservatory, which sees him taking on a Distinguished Visiting Professor role. Per Lupe, he’ll be “teaching Rap as part of the groundbreaking new four-year hip-hop degree program led by the visionary professor Wendel Patrick.” As the conservatory details on its official site, the new Bachelor of Music in Hip-Hop program is the first hip-hop performance degree in the U.S.
“I’ll continue my teaching at MIT and pursuing my fellowship at Yale while advancing Rap studies and practice into the upper echelons of higher education at large,” Lupe told fans.
The Peabody Institute is located in Baltimore, Maryland and boasts an impressive roster of noteworthy alumni. In fact, the school says its past students and current faculty have together won over 17 Grammys, not to mention multiple Emmys and MacArthur grants.
Last November, Lupe was honored in his hometown of Chicago with Mayor Brandon Johnson proclaiming a Lupe Fiasco Day. The special distinction, Johnson said, was due to Lupe having brought “pride and honor” to Chicago over the course of his years-long career.Johnson also praised Lupe’s lyrics, the legacy of Food & Liquor, and his gifts as a teacher.
That same month, “Pound for Pound,” a Lupe track made in tandem with the launch of the boxing video game Undisputed, hit streaming services. Listen here.