Hip-hop artists bust rhymes at underground music event

Bringing a part of the musical underground to the foreground, last night's "Extravaganza of Philly's Dopest Underground Hip Hop," gave voice to an under-recognized lyrical community that exists in and around the University. With support from a variety of Penn organizations -- including Civic House, the Undergraduate Assembly's West Philadelphia Committee, the Center for Community Partnerships and the Social Planning and Events Committee -- the event held at the Rotunda was brought together by the Foundation and the campus group Teaching Ourselves the Unique Culture of Hip Hop, attracting a crowd of around 100 people. TOUCHH is a recent initiative started at the University last year and dedicated to archiving and providing a repository for hip-hop culture, while the Foundation is a student-run center that seeks to bring together Penn students with the artistic and cultural life of West Philadelphia. Both organizations were able to advance their agendas through the bumping, rhyme-spilling music that had many in attendance shouting out loud and proud. "We love the audience, they kept us going," said Garrett Hill, also known as G-Spills, a rapper from West Philadelphia. "I thought that the heads here wouldn't appreciate [the music], but I can see everybody is here for the hip hop and I got nothing but love for them." G-Spills, who performed with the group Legacy, was one of many local performers who came to Penn. Other groups in attendance included the Architects, Drom, KodeCraquerClique, Supreem Da Regulata & Mista Keyz, Seeds of Evolution, Rukus Avenue, the Unorthodox, the Mountain Brothers, Nemesis and Tommy Law & Titan Raw. "These guys are from the local Philly underground without contracts with any of the five imperialist and capitalist recording companies," said William Perkins, a founder of TOUCHH and a self-proclaimed "dean of the hip-hop scholars." The event represented the first of its kind at the University, bringing together students and community members in a performing arts setting reflective of local culture. "Hopefully this is just the beginning and we hope this will get bigger," said frontman Supreem of Supreem Da Regulata & Mista Keyz. The response of those in attendance agreed with Supreem's response. "Because there are people here who are into different types of music coming together, it's a good vibe," said Caitlin Kiely, a resident of West Philadelphia.