GHOTIING #1: The Art Of MIT—Lupe Fiasco with the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble

A part of the MIT Artfinity Arts Festival and the inaugural season of events in the Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building at MIT.

Prof. Wasalu Jaco (aka Lupe Fiasco)
MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble, Frederick Harris, Jr., Music Director

Arrangers:
Prof. Evan Ziporyn, Matthew Michalek (G), Kevin Costello, ’21

Grammy Award-winning rapper and MIT visiting professor Wasalu Jaco (Lupe Fiasco) collaborates with the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble to premiere music inspired by MIT's public art collection. "Ghotiing," Jaco explains, "is plein air painting meets field recording meets rap." He elaborates on its role in his MIT Rap Theory and Practice course: "We take a novel approach to in situ rap creation through field activities called 'Ghotiing,' where students brainstorm, write, and record in outdoor settings, expanding their creative horizons."

This concert marks Jaco's first public performance of his own Ghotiing works. Members of the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble (MIT FJE) will provide arrangements for Jaco's raps and perform additional pieces inspired by visual art. The ensemble and music director Fred Harris previously collaborated with Jaco and his rap students in spring 2024.

About the Artists

Lupe Fiasco https://www.lupefiasco.com/

MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble https://mta.mit.edu/music/performance/festival-jazz-ensemble

Fred Harris https://mta.mit.edu/person/fred-harris

Host or Publisher MIT Music and Theater Arts