Hip hop fans will have a free way to check out some up-and-coming artists tonight as Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. presents a Roc-A-Fella Records showcase.

Recording artist Freeway will take the stage for a free show at HUB Alumni Hall.

According to Roc-A-Fella's Web site, www.rocafella.com, Freeway's lyrics "are laced with ghetto-weary 'been there, done that' sentiment that implies there is life beyond the block. Call it educated thuggery."

Before going solo, Freeway was a member of Beanie Siegel's rap group State Property. His collaboration with Siegel on the hit "Rock the Mic" helped Freeway secure his own record deal.

The rapper will perform cuts from his solo album Philadelphia Freeway, which has been in stores since February 2003.

Kappa Alpha Psi President Randy Winder said the show came about through connections made by one of the members of his fraternity who had an internship with Def Jam Records, which is the home label for the Roc-A-Fella imprint.

"We used to sponsor concerts all the time, and the Kappa concert series is something that we had been known for," he said. "There are other ideas in the brainstorming process and we do intend to have more concerts in the future."

Jason Browne (senior-mechanical engineering), one of three MCs for the eclectic State College-based hip hop group Audio Imagery, said that he knows of Freeway because he is from Philadelphia.

Browne said he is excited for tonight's show not only because he gets to share the stage with an artist of national prominence, but because his group's album is released today, too.

"Our group consists of four core members, but we collaborate with a lot of people," he said. "We are always interested in meeting and collaborating with others and any opportunities we get to work with someone else we almost always accept in order to further our horizons as artists."

Browne said his group performed with a 13-piece band at last year's Movin' On, and will perform with a full five-piece band tonight. He said his group is currently the only major hip hop group based in State College, and that while the group members work on their degrees here at Penn State, they are also constantly creating material.

"We do some rock-type stuff, we do hip hop club stuff, a little jazz here, a little funk there," Browne said. "It's still hip hop at the base of everything, but we like to experiment to show our range of talent and give people a little extra."