A Chicago-based rap artist wants to break new ground in the music world via a fully AI-powered radio station, according to a report by RouteNote Blog, which is part of music distributor RouteNote.
Lupe Fiascoâs station, âEndless LUP,â is in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Itâs planning to run 24/7, âgenerating AI-powered music trained on the intricacies of Lupeâs distinctive style,â the report says. âEach track will be unique, never repeated, offering listeners an endless stream of fresh, Lupe-inspired music.â
Lupe suggests the broadcast will be available only at certain times and places, and exclusively via traditional FM radios.
AI has caused plenty of anxiety among those in the music industry, but Lupe sees AI as a technology to enhance human creativity. He thinks AI can complement human creativity by creating cast amounts of music quickly.
Lupe, in a Wired article co-authored by C. Brandon Ogbunu, envisions a reaction that âmight be described as âfull surrenderâ: Donât run from the technology, but rather lean into the fact that artificial intelligence can create terabytes of music in minutes, much of it as enjoyable as the music made by our favorite artists.â
The artist also thinks AI can help forge a hybrid approach to creativity, where artists integrate AI into their creative processes; and (ironically) serve as a catalyst for a newfound appreciation of human-made classics.
Since the 2022-2023 academic year, Lupe has taught a course on Rap Theory and Practice as part of MITâs MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars Program. Heâs also pursuing a fellowship at Saybrook University, and recently said heâs joining Johns Hopkins University as a visiting professor.
