Grammy-winning rapper and record producer Lupe Fiasco has announced something new: an AI-driven, FM radio station that will play nothing but AI-engineered songs inspired by his own works.
Calling the project "Endless LUP" (get it?), the musician is working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop and roll out the innovative fusion of music and technology, which is expected to happen sometime this year. Earlier this month, Fiasco described it this way on his Instagram page:
Imagine if there was a 24 hour fully AI powered radio station trained on all the intricacies of my Rapping abilities and was carefully refined to produce the highest quality possible Lupe Fiasco songs. 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 only in certain locations and you needed an actual FM radio to hear the songs. Imagine I put a team together at MIT and imagine we actually built it…
Think "pop-up FM radio," perhaps? Intriguing details in Fiasco's post include suggestions that each AI-generated song would be played only once, that the radio station would be available only for certain periods of time – and only in certain locations, which makes sense if listening to the station actually required an FM radio.
No additional information is currently available about the timing or other details of this project. It's an intriguing, proactive choice being made by a professional musician at a time when many in the business are wondering what AI's ramifications will be on their careers, and in the bigger picture, their industry. In this way, it's clear that AI is making those in the music business wrestle with the very same existential questions as those of us in what might be considered more traditional businesses: What now? What's next? And how soon?
Over the last few years, Fiasco has been a visiting scholar and artist at MIT, where he's collaborated with the poet and MIT professor of digital media Nick Montfort, including teaching the class "Rap Theory and Practice." As Digital Music News describes it, Fiasco has aimed to create a class where students “engage in the full process of creating rap music, including composing lyrics, recording, performing, and creating an EP length album.”
For those unfamiliar with Fiasco's music, The Top Tens graciously provides a list of his top 25 tunes, along with a sample of each. Site contributor Anthony Becerra sums up Fiasco's oeuvre this way:
When it comes to hip-hop artists who consistently deliver thought-provoking lyrics and unmatched creativity, Lupe Fiasco is always in the conversation. His catalog is packed with songs that reflect on social issues, personal struggles, and everything in between, all while showcasing his lyrical finesse and storytelling abilities.
In addition to continuing his work at MIT, in the fall of this year Fiasco will be a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Johns Hopkins University's Peabody Institute.
