Ghotiing (stylized in all caps), fully titled Ghotiing MIT: Public Art, is an ongoing rap project by American rapper Lupe Fiasco in collaboration with the MIT List Visual Arts Center. Taking inspiration from specific art pieces around the MIT campus, Fiasco described it as "plein air painting meets field recording meets rap." He used his pioneering creative approach of 'Ghotiing,' introduced in his MIT course Rap Theory and Practice, where "students brainstorm, write, and record in outdoor settings," challenging the traditional approach to rap creation.[1][2]
The project is exclusively available as a free public art tour through the MIT List Visual Arts Center's digital guide, where visitors can scan a QR code to listen to Fiasco's songs on their personal devices as they tour the campus.[3]
Description[]
A collaboration between Lupe Fiasco and the MIT List Visual Arts Center, GHOTIING MIT: Public Art is a site-specific rap and field recording project that explores the relationship between rap and MIT's public art collection. By composing and recording on-site, Lupe engages directly with the sculptures, murals, and installations across campus, using their forms, histories, and surroundings as creative catalysts. Capturing ambient sounds and crafting lyrics in response to each piece, the project transforms public art into a living sonic experience—where rap and visual art intersect in real time.
"GHOTIING" is an innovative, site-specific approach to rap creation that integrates field recording and En Plein Air composition. Pioneered by rapper and professor Lupe Fiasco at MIT, this method encourages rappers to compose and record in dynamic, real-world environments rather than within the controlled confines of a studio.
By venturing into various outdoor and public spaces—such as bustling city streets, quiet parks, transit hubs, or culturally significant landmarks—artists engage directly with their surroundings, allowing ambient sounds, atmosphere, and social context to shape their lyrical content, flow, and delivery. The process incorporates field recording techniques, capturing environmental noise and spontaneous interactions, which can serve as sonic textures or conceptual inspiration for compositions.
Much like En Plein Air painters immerse themselves in a setting to capture its essence in real time, GHOTIING encourages rappers to respond to their environment spontaneously, adapting their creative process to the unique energy of each space. This approach fosters greater improvisation, a deeper connection to place, and an expanded understanding of how setting influences artistic expression. The result is a more organic, unfiltered form of rap that exists at the intersection of soundscape, lyricism, and lived experience.
Inspired by fishing expeditions, GHOTIING reimagines rap creation as a hunt for big ideas—where beats serve as bait, microphones as fishing rods, and both the object and the artist's mind act as the body of water. By immersing themselves in different environments, rappers cast their creative lines, hoping to reel in unexpected inspiration.
Background[]
Fiasco began recording Ghotiing in the summer of 2022, when he started his teaching post for the Rap Theory and Practice course. He recorded on-site at each artwork, incorporating ambient sounds. The track titles reference the naming system used in Rhymen Shop, where musical releases are referred to as "Flavors."
On April 18, 2025, Fiasco announced the project via Instagram, posting the link in his bio.[4]
Live performance[]
On April 15, 2025, an upcoming concert at Kresge Auditorium was announced, scheduled for May 2nd later that year. As part of MIT's free and public Artfinity Festival, attendees were able to reserve spots in advance.[5] Fiasco collaborated with the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble (MIT FJE) to premiere his art project Ghotiing. It was reported that nine songs were recorded for the project, six of which will debut live at the concert. Members of the MIT FJE arranged music for his raps and performed additional pieces inspired by visual art. The concert also featured performances by Fiasco's MIT rap students and MIT hip-hop dancers.
| Date | Time | City | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri | May 2, 2025 | 8:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M. | Cambridge | Kresge Auditorium |
Track listing[]
| Title | Length | Inspiration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Sailing Flavor" | 2:29 | Alexander Calder: La Grande Voile (1965) |  |
| "3 Piece Flavor" | 4:51 | Jacques Lipchitz: Sacrifice III (1949) Jacques Lipchitz: Hagar in the Desert (1957) Jacques Lipchitz: Bather (1923) |
 |
| "All Caps Flavor" | 1:42 | Dimitri Hadzi: Elmo-MIT (1963) |  |
| "Muse Flavor" | 2:12 | Jacques Lipchitz: Birth of the Muses (1944–50) |  |
| "Molecule Flavor" | 3:26 | Antony Gormley: Chord (2015) |  |
| "Alchemist Flavor" | 3:18 | Jaume Plensa: Alchemist (2010) |  |
| "Funhouse Flavor" | 2:12 | Anish Kapoor: Non-Object (Plane) (2010) |  |
References[]
- ↑ "GHOTIING #1: The Art of MIT—Lupe Fiasco with the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble" | Artfinity
- ↑ McDuffie, Candace (May 1, 2025). "Lupe Fiasco on His MIT Course and Rap's Stature in Academia". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ "GHOTIING MIT: Lupe Fiasco"
- ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@lupefiasco)". Instagram. April 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Lupe Fiasco to Perform Concert at MIT on May 2, as Part of On-Campus Public Art Project". Audible Treats. April 15, 2025.
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