This weekend, rapper T.I. will be adding his name to a list that some members of the State College hip-hop community wish was longer and more consistent.
That list, of course, refers to the meager number of rap/hip-hop artists to perform in State College.
At 8 p.m. on Sunday, the rapper -- as well as actor and businessman -- will be performing at the Bryce Jordan Center with special guest Kardinal Offishall. T.I.'s performance will mark the last performance to be held at the BJC this semester.
Although T.I. got his start in 2001 with his debut album I'm Serious, he has now solidified his spot in the mainstream music world with hits like "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" from his conceptual 2007 album, T.I. vs. T.I.P. and the more recent "Whatever You Like" off Paper Trail. The 2008 album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, selling more than 568,000 copies, according to Billboard.com.
Thaddeus Jones, Class of 2006, a member of the local hip-hop group Common Ground, was in line for tickets on the first day of sale. Jones said he enjoys T.I. for his individualized style.
"What drew me to T.I. is that he took the Southern style music but applies an East Coast hip-hop flow to it," Jones said. "It's his style, his delivery. It's something different. That's what makes hip-hop so great; what makes you special is what makes you different."
Jason Browne, a PSU Network Systems Specialist and member of local hip-hop outfit Audio Imagery, is also a fan of T.I.'s work, citing his ability to appeal to the mainstream while maintaining intelligence.
"He is the perfect balance between a street rapper that has a rap persona while adding pop influence to grab all the audience," Browne said. "He's a smart guy and he's talented so he does what he needs to do."
State College fans of hip-hop are no doubt intrigued, if not thrilled, for T.I.'s appearance, but local hip-hop groups like the aforementioned Audio Imagery and Common Ground are looking for more representation than just one or two rap/hip-hop performances a semester.
"One show every two years isn't enough," George Webster, an Audio Imagery member said. "We definitely need more shows and more venues that cater to a hip-hop crowd."
Browne agrees with his bandmate.
"There's no outlet," Browne said. "Every blue moon somebody shows up and people go, 'Oh, I'll go to this,' but there's no steady, solid community surrounding that and there's no steady interest because there's no outlet."
So do Browne and Webster's opinions have merit? Consider how well rap and hip-hop is represented in State College. Members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah have made appearances within the past two years as well as Talib Kweli, Ying Yang Twins and Kidz in the Hall. But other than that, the hip-hop performances have been few and far between.
Browne attributes this to the absence of a strong hip-hop community in State College, while Jones places some of the blame on the town's predilection for cover bands and not enough local hip-hop groups.
"As far as performing, it's a very, very small list of people that do it," Jones said. "Even with us talking to frats about doing performances ... they always want to go the cover band route. People always prefer what they know instead of going out and exploring new music."
Webster also said he believes the term "hip-hop" has a negative connotation that some people will never shake off.
"Hip-hop is a bad name. When you say 'hip-hop show' or 'rap concert,' it just puts a bad taste in everyone's mouth because they know the type of things that are possible," Webster said. "They see it on the news and everywhere else, but people can't act right, for lack of a better word."
Jones added that rap and hip-hop suffers in general because of closed-mindedness toward breaking conventions of genres.
"For example, with Kanye [West]'s new album [808s & Heartbreak], a lot of people aren't taking it for what it is. They're just bashing it, saying it's not like the old Kanye," Jones said. "A lot of people don't do the exploration themselves. If they don't like a specific artist, they'll just hear two or three songs and just generalize. You could find a lot of people who don't like rap music but love Eminem."
Determined to change the rap/hip-hop scene in State College, members of Audio Imagery and Common Ground have decided to continue Hip-Hop Anonymous, a hip-hop open-mic event that originally brought the members of Audio Imagery together. The event was held for the first time in years two weeks ago on Nov. 15. The event didn't attract as much attention as event organizers had anticipated, but members of Audio Imagery and Common Ground will continue their efforts into the spring semester.
"I was hoping to just drop the word and people would just show up," Browne said. "I have reformed that idea and it will take a little more strategic marketing to get people to come out to shows and be like, 'You know what? I am into this and I do want to support something like this.' "
The event organizers said they hope to expand Hip-Hop Anonymous into a monthly, if not bi-weekly, event that will highlight a different artist every week as well as allow local rap and hip-hop enthusiasts to step up to the mic and present their original material. Webster remains optimistic for the spring semester.
"I have total faith that since people love this genre of music and it's so popular that Hip-Hop Anonymous and just the hip-hop scene in general could be huge," Webster said. "We have to get the support of everyone who's a performer and get their fans out, our fans out, and just make it a night. Once a month, twice a week, something. We need to put something together."
