GZA speaks on the relationship between rap and science to a sold out crowd in the Glen Miller Ballroom at the University of Colorado, Boulder. (Phil McKenzie / CU Independent)
Sponsored by the Cultural Events Board, the lecture “GZA the Genius: The Relationship Between Hip Hop and Science” was held Thursday in the Glenn Miller Ballroom. The rapper talked about his involvement in founding the Science Genius Project and his love for science, which he said has influenced all of his musical projects, including his upcoming album “Dark Matter.”
GZA talked about his experience in the Wu-Tang Clan and about how math and science principles were relevant to the music they were producing. For GZA and his fellow members, science was used as an inspiration to create a story.
“I’m not an expert, but I am a scientist by nature—all of us are,” GZA told the audience.
The Science Genius Project is a nonprofit organization that encourages students, specifically those of a lower-income background, to get involved in science through hip-hop. GZA considers his program “a perfect opportunity to use my art in a meaningful and intellectual way,” and that by “removing the barriers” between the two worlds of hip-hop and science, students’ chances for success will increase.
The goal for his program is not to mass-produce a new generation of scientists, but to shape students who want to enhance the world. He said that because music is a form of communication that can be used to bridge ideas and cultures, it can introduce people to science in ways they might not have considered before.
“Music is a divine art,” he said.
The talk came a day after headlining a concert at the Fox Theater which also included performances by Low Hanging Fruit, a student group out of CU.
Contact CU Independent News Staff Writer Sydney Calhoun at sydney.calhoun@colorado.edu.
