Standing in the second-floor hallway of the Willard Building on Saturday afternoon, one was just as likely to eavesdrop on an impromptu freestyle rap battle as a discussion of non-traditional ways of "getting out the vote" this November.

The third-annual Pennsylvania Political Hip-Hop Convention, hosted by Represent Penn State in coordination with the Pittsburgh League of Young Voters, was held on campus this weekend to address the role of hip-hop music and culture in politics.

The event took place in Pittsburgh two years ago, Philadelphia last year and this year organizers brought its enthusiasm and unique perspective to State College.

"We thought it was best to do it in the center of the state this year because it's a neutral site and it engages the big T ... which has been neglected for so long in political circles," director of operations for Pittsburgh League of Young Voters Tony Lodico said, referring to the geographical "T" of conservative Pennsylvania voters living outside Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

A panel discussion examining the creation of a youth voting block for a hip-hop generation kicked off the convention at about 11 a.m. Saturday in the HUB-Robeson Center's Heritage Hall.

One panel member was Erie's David Dix, a media-messaging consultant for Maryland Republican Senate candidate Michael Steele, who hopes to become the second African American serving in the U.S. Senate. Dix said he felt the 2004 presidential election was the first to attempt to cater to the hip-hop community, citing Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' "Vote or Die" campaign and symposiums featuring Jay-Z and Kanye West.

"A closely contested race like Casey/Santorum will be indicative of who spent time reaching out to the hip-hop demographic," he said.

Later Saturday afternoon, informational sessions, including a lecture on organizational alliance building by Pittsburgh League of Young Voters' regional director Khari Mosley, took place on the second floor of the Willard Building.

Yesterday, famed Oakland, California-based underground radio hip-hop deejay Davey D. shared his industry expertise in Heritage Hall, compounding the weekend's message of the importance of media in propelling a political hip-hop movement.

"Nobody will hand anything to you -- it's about power," he said. "You have to have your own medium that you completely control."

Trey Thomas, chairman of Represent Penn State, said having the convention at the university would help with name recognition.

"It's supposed to be a networking opportunity, but the main point is to help our own organization set up a 'get out the vote' strategy for Election Day," he said, adding that the weekend was a learning experience by working with the well-established Pittsburgh League of Young Voters.

Matt Birkhold, 27, traveled from Philadelphia for the event.

"One of the most important things is to build an infrastructure because all of us who do this work run into similar problems and all have similar questions," he said.

Jameela Conway-Turner (freshman-psychology) said she felt involvement in the event was important for students.

"It's the job of young people to get people excited about progressive issues," she said.