Lupe Fiasco Earns New Certifications and Expands Academic Influence
Lupe Fiasco has just secured a collection of new plaques, marking a major milestone in his career. On Thursday (February 27), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the Chicago rapper with 10 new platinum and gold certifications, including his highest-selling record to date.
2010’s The Show Goes On is now officially 7x platinum, making it his best-performing track ever. In addition, 2012’s Battle Scars featuring Guy Sebastian and 2007’s Superstar have each been certified 3x platinum. Other newly certified platinum records include 2011’s Lasers, 2006’s Kick Push, and 2006’s Daydreaming featuring Jill Scott.
Four other tracks have also reached gold status: 2011’s Words I Never Said with Skylar Grey, Out of My Head with Trey Songz, 2007’s Hip-Hop Saved My Life featuring Nikki Jean, and 2013’s Old School Love featuring Ed Sheeran.
Lupe Fiasco Announces AI-Powered Radio Station
Beyond music certifications, Lupe Fiasco has been pushing boundaries in technology. He recently revealed an upcoming AI-powered radio station, Endless LUP, set to launch in 2025. The station will be trained on his unique rap style and will generate high-quality Lupe Fiasco tracks that play only once and never repeat.
“Imagine a 24-hour, fully AI-powered radio station trained on all the intricacies of my rapping abilities, carefully refined to produce the highest quality possible Lupe Fiasco songs,” he wrote on Instagram. “Now imagine it only played a generated song once and never again, endlessly… Now imagine that radio station was only available for certain periods of time and in specific locations, and you needed an actual FM radio to hear the songs.”
Lupe collaborated with a team at MIT to build this groundbreaking project. He has been associated with the institution since 2022 when he became a visiting professor. His commitment to education has only grown, as he has since been named a Saybrook Fellow at Yale University and most recently a professor of Hip Hop at Johns Hopkins University.
Lupe Fiasco Joins Johns Hopkins University
On January 1, Lupe Fiasco announced he would be joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute as a Distinguished Visiting Professor, teaching rap as part of the new four-year Hip Hop Degree Program.
“The Peabody Institute is one of the oldest music conservatories in America, world-renowned for its rigorous training and for producing some of the world’s greatest musicians,” he stated. “I’m honored to contribute to this legacy doing what I love most, Rap.”
While taking on this new role, Lupe Fiasco will continue his teaching at MIT and his fellowship at Yale, further cementing his place as a thought leader in the intersection of hip-hop, academia, and technology.
