Rap space cadet returns to academia for another lecture from the heart.

Two years on from his first lecture at New York University, Lil B returned to the world of academia this week with a one-off lecture at MIT on Friday.

Lil B, wearing a leather jacket with nothing underneath (a first for MIT surely?), gave the students his views on positivity, empathy, GMOs and agendas in the media among other subjects. He also gave a shout out to photosynthesis and answered many questions from students, ranging from Tinder to Wikipedia’s unreliability. He also gave those in attendance a quick freestyle for good measure.

Fader covered the event, and has published a full transcript of the lecture and q&a that followed.

Here are a few choice quotes we selected from the lengthy transcript:

“The main thing I want to bring tonight is positivity in the workforce. I want to start off with a quote I made especially for MIT. This is something for everyone to think about. “Less opinion, more perspective.” What I mean by that is, sometimes I feel like an opinion is more ego driven. We’re protecting the outer. We work hard, and it’s a lot of mental things that go into working hard as well as training yourself, as all the beautiful people in here future scientists, engineers, programmers, all that. People I might be working for. The code of ethics in your job and where you work, the company you may create, or if you work for somebody, make sure you bring that love, and bring that positivity. Making sure you come and understand that we’re in this together. Even if we’re not, we need to learn, and learn to figure out ways to understand. Look at everybody and say “I’m the receiver.” I’m here to decipher the information, and decipher what they say. Not to say, “Hey, you spelled that wrong,” but maybe ask them. It’s all about the way you say it.

On the subject of reaching out to fans:

What I do right now, this music, I do it all for free [applause]. You can’t put a price on the love. I’m not as greedy as these greedy—I’m not! It’s priceless. That’s what I’m pressing, integrity, with your business, and making sure the customer comes first. They all say that, but who supports you, and appreciating that. How many people in here have more than one follower on social media? It’s about that integrity, and making sure you push for the customer. What I mean by that is, going to your fans’ house. If you’ve got someone that supports you and cares about you, feel them out. See your fan base, see the people that support you.

On Wikipedia and beefs:

But what the idea of the beef, and stuff like that—like I said man, Wikipedia is crazy. I’ve got to go back and tell them, “Why are you giving all these people, like…what?” It’s funny, Wikipedia wrote like the beef made my career. But you’re right. With the feuds, it’s very selective and chosen, the very few I have had. It’s really hip hop, and keeping it for the love of that, keeping it for the love of the sport. Confrontational but nothing physical, nothing, you know—but I have to say what I’ve got to say. And most of the time I’m always playing defense, you know, rap-wise, I think a lot of the people that said things about me—the lucky hip hop artists that said my name. You know what I’m saying? I hope you don’t say they name here, because that’s too lucky, you know what I’m saying? Speaking about them at MIT. They lucky, you know what I’m saying? But you know with the hip hop, bro, I keep that low, but anybody can get it with the rap, though, you know what I’m saying?

Read the full transcript at the Fader.

Update, 25 November: You can now watch all one and a half hours of the lecture below.