Calling all b-boys and b-girls, the local underground rap group Team Tweek has arrived on the scene with a video for their stadium anthem "We Are," to which every Penn Stater can bob his or her head.
After hitting the clubs and the airwaves last December, Tweek's playful twist on the PSU fight song will be captured on film this weekend, featuring scenes from all over campus and all the action at the Blue-White game.
Tweek consists of seven rappers and one singer. Members hail from everywhere from Brooklyn to Hawaii with all different backgrounds, but it was the music that brought them together, Kevin "Blacclyte" James (senior-recreation, park and tourism management) said.
After opening for the band Clipse last year at a HUB-Robeson Center concert, the group was finally concrete and has developed a following through Myspace.com and local shows, James said.
"It was the first day we all realized we could really do this," he said. "We took it more serious and saw how much it takes to make good music."
Drawing from a wide range of experiences, all the rappers in Tweek combine their talents to tell a diverse story, James said.
"We have two different outlooks on every situation and two sides of what life is like going down the left road and the right road," he said.
Although most of its solo and group work deals with serious and personal issues, Tweek can also thank its catchy numbers for drawing a fan base.
Mike "Mic Dough" Hummel, who engineered "We Are," said the song seemed kind of corny at first, but it opened a lot of doors for the group after it started to gain attention. While others spent all their weekends in the clubs, Hummel said he's spent a lot more time engineering and mastering beats.
"I'm picky about what I put out," Hummel said. "Everything has to be right 'cause one song can hurt you. 'We Are' was a risk, but it created a buzz."
With a different sound coming from each artist, the one thing most of the members can agree on is their dissatisfaction with the mainstream sound of today's music.
"Hip-hop now is simple," James said. "It's so easy and catchy, a 2-year old could think of that [song]."
James and group member Jemel "Bossman" Christopher (senior-health policy administration) collaborated on an album called Politics as Usual, which addresses current political and social issues, James said. Songs such as "Give me a reason-to pledge allegiance to the flag" and "Mr. President" attempt to "bring the intelligence back to hop-hop," James said.
"We wanna bring back the essence of storytelling," he said. "When [hip-hop] started out, you could listen to an artist and picture what he's talking about. Even if you haven't experienced it, you can see it through their words."
The group is planning to bring back the old-school spirit of hip-hop with a number of freestyle performances as part of their "Tweekend." The performances will start tomorrow downtown. Also included are two performances at Club Love, where Tweek usually performs twice a month, said Nigel Sparkes, Tweek's manager.
"It's the biggest crowd Club Love ever gets," Hummel said. "We usually get 500 [or more] people."
While most have their eye on the prize, Hummel said some big artists lose the raw talent that made them successful.
"I don't wanna be underground forever, but when people get to a certain pinnacle, they forget how hungry they were," he said.
With influences like KRS-One and Notorious B.I.G, James admired these artists for being fearless with their lyrics and checking the gimmicks at the door.
"Not everyone is 'In the Club,' " he said. "The majority of people in this country don't have that stuff. You have to relate to your fans and talk about what's really goin' on."
