A fully AI-powered radio station in 2025?
Image credits: Aidin Geranrekab
Lupe Fiasco’s collaboration with MIT redefines the future of AI in music.
AI meets FM radio
Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco is breaking new ground in the music industry with his latest venture, a fully AI-powered FM radio station called ‘Endless LUP’. Partnering with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lupe announced the project on Instagram.
Image credits: Eva Rinaldi
The station promises to run 24/7, generating AI-powered music trained on the intricacies of Lupe’s distinctive style. Each track will be unique, never repeated, offering listeners an endless stream of fresh, Lupe-inspired music.
However, he suggests the broadcast will only be accessible at specific times, in certain locations, and exclusively via traditional FM radios. Slightly contradictory, this could indicate the project is still in its early development.
“Imagine I put a team together at MIT and imagine we actually built it. ‘Endless LUP’ coming soon,” Lupe teased via his Instagram.
Lupe Fiasco’s academic endeavours
Lupe’s collaboration with MIT is nothing new. Since the 2022-2023 academic year, he has taught a course on Rap Theory and Practice as part of MIT’s MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars Program. The course encourages students to delve into the full creative process of rap music, from ‘composing lyrics, recording, performing, and creating an EP length album’.
His academic pursuits don’t stop there. Lupe is also pursuing a fellowship at Saybrook University, and recently announced that he is joining Johns Hopkins University as a visiting professor on their new 4-year Bachelor of Music in Hip Hop program.
AI-generated music: Not necessarily a bad thing?
AI-generated music has sparked both widespread excitement and controversy. Amongst regulatory challenges and ethical concerns, Lupe sees AI as a tool to enhance human creativity rather than replace it.
He envisions a future where AI-generated music complements human artistry in three ways:
- Volume and variety: AI can produce vast amounts of music quickly, some of which is “as enjoyable as the music made by our favourite artists”. He likens AI-generated music to human culture and how DJs curate music.
- Collaboration, not competition: A hybrid approach to music-making could emerge, with artists integrating AI into their creative processes to forge a new subgenre of human-AI hybrid music.
- A nostalgic renaissance: Ironically, AI-generated music might reignite appreciation for human-made classics, similar to how retro-tech is celebrated today.
Endless LUP
Lupe’s optimistic outlook highlights the potential for AI to reshape the music industry by fostering innovation and collaboration. However, the ethical and legal implications remain unresolved.
Whether it inspires awe or skepticism, the launch of ‘Endless LUP’ will undoubtedly mark a milestone for AI-generated music. Only time will tell whether this will bring a new chapter for music creation, or just be a cool one-off project.