In fall 2021, Grammy award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco and Professor of Digital Media Nick Montfort came together to engage the MIT community at the intersection of rap, computing, and activism. Together, they led “Code Cypher,” a programming competition for language and rhythm that engages teams of MIT students in a one-day creative coding event in fall 2021.

Fiasco’s work as a rapper and producer is informed by his interests in cognitive science, linguistics, semiotics, and computing. During his CAST residency, he shared insights from his work as an entrepreneur and community advocate, 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.

Read more here: arts.mit.edu/people/lupe-fiasco/

Videography: MIT Video Productions

Direction & Postproduction: Heidi Erickson