Spring fashions and music will collide as Penn State student models "Rip the Runway" Friday.

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. have collaborated to plan the first "Rip the Runway," scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday in HUB Alumni Hall.

Kappa Alpha Psi member Austin Miller said the two fraternities hope to bring a new kind of entertainment to Penn State.

"We want a Los Angeles, NYC-type of vibe, for youth like us to enjoy themselves," Miller (junior-journalism) said.

The event will feature Interscope Records rap artists Wale and Young Chris, Universal/Motown rock artist Colin Monroe and independent artist Dephonic, Miller said.

Born Olubowale Akintimehin, rap artist Wale has signed on to "Rip the Runway" as a stop on his tour that is promoting his debut album, Attention Deficit, scheduled for release on June 30.

The young up-and-coming rapper is working to make the move from local favorite to national act.

Wale said all of the hard work that he has put into his musical career makes the business of creating his music "more like a job" to him now.

Critics have commented on Wale's move to the mainstream, but he said simply, "you have to graduate sometime."

"If you listen to my music, it is still the same content," he said. "I still feel like I'm an underground dude but with a bigger fan base."

Dephonic is not signed to Interscope or Universal, but the band takes pride in being an independent band without a record deal. Marion Wilson, who goes by June Hott and is the band's emcee, said being the only independent band scheduled for Friday's performance is a demonstration of the hard work the band has done.

"It's a great accomplishment for our music and what it's all about," June Hott said.

Dephonic's dynamic can be compared to Voltron, June Hott said, because the band manages to bring elements of rap, indie, dance and reggae and fuse them all into one signature sound.

Drew Kramer, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the band, said many people who hear Dephonic for the first time say they have never heard music like it before.

"If this was a highway, we'd be paving it," Kramer, also known as Drew-ish, said.

June Hott said the band's wide range of influences gives Dephonic the ability to play anywhere.

"We've played in front of Hells Angels bikers and in hip-hop and jazz clubs," he said. "I feel comfortable enough that we could play in [a] country setting if need be."

Wale has been working toward reaching a "wide audience" by making a series of mixtapes, the most recent of which, titled Back to the Future, drops April 29. The tapes have been "building a brand" for Wale's music.

"You can't sell someone a pair of shoes unless they know how they feel," Wale said.

Wale said Attention Deficit is an attempt to show people there are "other things out there" than what is heard in the mainstream, and he hopes it may erase some bad connotations associated with young people today.

"The album is a wake-up for the culture," he said. "There are younger people with a message."

Wale has done a few collaborations with other up-and-coming artists in the past, including one with Lady Gaga in his first single off the new album, titled "Chillin."

Wale said with an old or new artist, he will feed off of the energy.

"I like to collaborate with people I enjoy listening to and see what can come out of it," he said.

He has already worked with Young Chris, who is also scheduled to perform Friday. Wale said the two are good friends, and he never has a problem performing or making songs with Young Chris.

Although Wale's talent has garnered acclaim from such rap veterans as Jay-Z and Kanye West, he said that to him, it's not a big deal.

"I really don't think about who's saying this, who's saying that," he said. "I just try to block it all out and have tunnel vision and keep making music."

He added the main objective for his music is continuing "the spread of hip-hop," and the label of up-and-coming star does not change the fact that he is just like everybody else.

"I'm not trying to change the world with one song," he said. "I'm just one person."

Drew-ish said the members of Dephonic's main objective is to make good music and remain true to who the are, not to do what will land them a record deal.

He added the music industry is just "one big machine," and that the band may one day consider entering to build a bigger fan base.

June Hott said the band "will not go hungry" if it never signs on to a label, adding it's not about the money, but the message of the music.

"If somebody having the worst day of their life can turn on the radio and say 'This music changed me,' that's what it's about," he said.

An Omega Psi Phi member from Temple University, DJ Omega assisted the fraternities in enlisting artists for "Rip the Runway," said Corey Grant (senior-information sciences and technology), who is a member of Penn State's Omega Phi Psi. Grant said he feels DJ Omega is the No. 1 DJ in Philadelphia right now.

"It's a pretty individual fashion show-concert. I know in springtime, a lot of fashion shows are going on, but ours stands out because we have live performances during our show," Grant said.

Gathering inspiration for the show's name and concept from BET's own Rip the Runway show, the two fraternities aim to make the event big.

"We collaborated with PSMA [Penn State Marketing Association] and UPAC [University Park Allocation Committee] this year," Miller said. "UPAC helped us with the funding and contacting of artists and PSMA is helping with marketing and promotion and setting up the show, lights, creativity."

The event will feature 25 Penn State student models, selected from an open modeling call, Miller said.

Ty Nelson (sophomore-musical theatre), a model for the show, said tryouts took place about a month ago, and the potential models showed their walk and poses.

"It was really exciting and fun," she said. "Some girls got really competitive."

There are 12 men and 13 women models, Nelson said.

"The guys add a really nice dynamic," she said.

The runway show will have both urban and casual themes, Miller said. The models will be wearing their own clothing along with items from Macy's, 5Twenty7 and designer Kissed by Rain, he added.

Grant added the themes of the show include club, punk rock, school and swimsuit show. He said the two fraternities have been planning "Rip the Runway" since the beginning of fall 2008.

"We've actually planned this event since last fall. We've been having three-hour practices twice a week," Grant said.

Grant said he hopes the event will take off so they can do it again.

"There's a lot of hype for the show. A lot of people are talking about it. I'm really excited for it. We were looking for something innovative, and hopefully in 2010 we can have it again," he said.

Nelson said she was very excited and not nervous to participate in the show.

"As long as I have good rubbers on my shoes, I'm excited," she said. "For the models, as long as you go with the flow and know what you're doing, you'll be fine."

Although the event is free, Miller said Kappa Alpha Psi will collect proceeds for St. Jude Children's Hospital and Omega Psi Phi will be collecting donations for the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.