In recognition of the enduring cultural importance of hip-hop, the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University announced it will launch the first-ever Bachelor of Music in Hip Hop program, fittingly bringing the first undergraduate hip-hop degree to the first conservatory in the United States. Led by composer, producer, beatmaker, pianist, and professor Wendel Patrick, inaugural faculty will include Grammy Award-winning rapper, songwriter, and record producer Lupe Fiasco as a distinguished visiting artist. The new program will combine the resources and strengths of Peabody’s industry-leading Music Engineering and Technology (MET) programs with the Conservatory’s long history of innovation and excellence in performance training.
Originating from a single class in hip-hop first introduced by Patrick in 2016, the new degree builds upon the strength of Peabody’s MET program, which has grown from 50 students five years ago to more than 150 today. The Hip Hop curriculum will center on the skills of rapping, beatboxing, turntablism, and producing, alongside classes on the cultural history and evolution of hip-hop style, technique, and technology. Hip Hop students will hone their talents and performance skills with private instruction from world-class professional practitioners under the one-on-one studio teaching model that has long been at the core of the Conservatory’s artistic training. Students will also have opportunities to collaborate and engage with the vibrant hip-hop scene in Baltimore, and Peabody’s signature Breakthrough Curriculum career development program will equip them with the professional and promotional skills to succeed in a rapidly changing, increasingly entrepreneurial arts landscape.
“With Wendel Patrick’s thoughtful leadership, a burgeoning interest in programs at the intersection of music and technology, and Peabody’s dedication to expanding the definition of 21st-century artistic training, this is an important opportunity to direct Peabody’s strengths toward an essential American cultural movement that has been a driving artistic force for more than half a century,” said Peabody Institute Dean Fred Bronstein. “Peabody has been a leader at the intersection of art and education for over 150 years, and we couldn’t be more excited to foster and support the talents of future generations of hip-hop artists in collaboration with those who are pushing the art form forward, and to do so in a city, Baltimore, that itself has long been fertile ground for the voices of hip-hop.”
Wendel Patrick, who also performs classical and jazz piano under the name Kevin Gift, is known internationally as a music producer of remarkable vision, skill, and talent. His five albums—Sound, Forthcoming, JDWP, Passage, and Travel—were all produced with Patrick playing every instrument electronically. The co-founder of the Baltimore Boom Bap Society and co-producer of the nationally syndicated NPR program Out of the Blocks, Patrick was chosen as a Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellow at the Hip Hop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard University for the 2021-22 academic year. He majored in music and political science at Emory University and earned his Master of Music in piano performance at Northwestern University. Patrick won the 2015 Baker Artist Awards’ Mary Sawyers Baker prize and is currently the host of Artworks on Maryland Public Television.
“I’m thrilled to work with my colleagues at one of the top conservatories in the country to advance the training of young rappers, turntablists, producers, and beatboxers. Students in this rigorous yet collaborative program can expect to share ideas, perform with others, and develop their skills through private study with professional practitioners on the cutting edge of music,” said Patrick. “I’ve seen the growing demand for a degree program since my first hip-hop class, and Peabody’s diverse repertoire and curriculum provide opportunities for students to appreciate, explore, and engage with a wide range of styles, techniques, critical perspectives, and artistic traditions—from new media where performance meets technology to established forms that have historically been excluded from the conservatory setting.”
Lupe Fiasco, born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, earned multiple Grammy nominations for his critically acclaimed debut album, Food & Liquor, which quickly established him as one of hip-hop’s most distinct voices. Known for his intricate lyricism, complex storytelling, and socially conscious themes, Fiasco has consistently used his platform to tackle issues ranging from systemic racism to political corruption and social justice. His deep passion for philosophy, technology, and education has made him a sought-after voice beyond the world of music, and he has spent time as a visiting scholar at Yale University. He has also collaborated with Google on the groundbreaking project TextFX, an AI-driven tool designed to help artists, songwriters, and creators explore the creative potential of language. He continues to record and perform, with his most recent studio album, Samurai, being released in 2024 to critical acclaim. Fiasco is currently a visiting scholar and professor at MIT as well as a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
“I’m honored to be joining the faculty of the prestigious Peabody Conservatory doing what I love most, rap,” said Fiasco. “I look forward to advancing the study and practice of rap and hip-hop into the upper echelons of higher education within a program that will surround the core performance training with coursework in the cultural history and sociopolitical environment that gave rise to hip-hop and the genre’s popularity and influence.”
Founded in 1857 as the first conservatory in the United States, the Peabody Institute has remained a leader at the intersection of arts and education by focusing on excellence and innovation, expanding how music and dance are taught today. Patrick and Fiasco are among a distinguished faculty of world-class performers and teachers providing rigorous, personalized, supportive instruction and guidance to help students excel artistically and professionally.
The Bachelor of Music in Hip Hop program is accepting applications through January 24, 2025. Please visit peabody.jhu.edu/hip-hop for more information.
Read a Q&A with Lupe Fiasco in Johns Hopkins’ official magazine, The Hub: https://hub.jhu.edu/2025/
© 2025, Seth “Digital Crates” Barmash. All rights reserved.
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