Raps

I have rapped as a hobby for most of my life. I grew up with the 90s greats (e.g., Notorious BIG, Nas, Lauryn Hill, Tupac, Salt n' Pepa, Eminem, Naughty By Nature, Mobb Deep,  LL Cool J., Lost Boys, Juraissic Five, Talib Kweli, Jay-Z) as my inspiration. I have participated in freestyle battles (even won a few), but mostly written songs for fun and with purpose. As an undergrad in 2003, I conducted an honors research thesis project on the evolution of hip-hop as it relates to technology and cultural development, interviewing rappers, DJs, and producers in London (OMG it's on Amazon). That project led me to the realization that hip-hop music is an art form born out of the socioeconomic struggle and creativity of African American and Latino communities in New York in the late 1970s. Although I loved the music and culture, I realized I could not authentically claim it as my own given my privileged upbringing, so I took a step back and decided to rap only as a complement to my professional and personal projects. For example, I proposed to my wife (in front of her family on Thanksgiving) through a rap song I wrote about our relationship. When my first son was born, I wrote my "Ten Kid Commandments", a set of rules for life, set to the Notorious BIG's Ten Crack Commandments. I have written songs about my research on avatars and the Proteus effect, qualitative vs. quantitative research methods, my philosophy of (having faith in) science, my experiences teaching in VR, and my advice for Stanford students as an alumni. These songs and a few more can be found in the videos below. Enjoy!