Wednesday night, a group of roughly 110 students gathered together to take in Tidal Flow in the Allen Bales Theatre at 7:30 p.m. The show was a collaboration of artists, poets and dancers tasked by Creative Campus with proving that “Hip-Hop is not dead.” Set behind the stage were four panels painted in graffiti by Mitchell Reese.
First to the stage were emcees Janeshia Byrd Stewart and Kerry Fountain, who began the night with a “goddamn Roll Tide” and told the crowd to feel free to get into it and shout and dance. The dance group Riptide followed, taking the stage with their loose black pants and combat boots.
The second act was rapper Will Gillette, also known as “Will Da Beast.”
“I have been rapping since before I could legally operate a seafaring vehicle,” he said. In one of his lines, Gillette spoke about his experience with rap, saying “he used to have swagger, but then he grew wings / dipped ‘em in some ranch and flew into the blue thing.”
Alyssa Grubbs, a junior majoring in musical theatre and restaurant management, serenaded the crowd with her rendition of Lauryn Hill’s “Killing Me Softly.”
Will Travis took the stage next and was shortly followed by emcee Stewart, accompanied by an acoustic guitar.
Stewart, a junior majoring in fashion design, wowed the crowd with her vocals.
“I love Hip-Hop; it reaches so many people,” Stewart said. “It was nice to see so many people come out and celebrate the empowerment of the same thing.”
Following Stewart’s performance, the dance group Grammy, consisting of three men and five women, took the stage.
The audience seemed to enjoy the event as the night progressed and cheered on the performers.
In between acts, free B.o.B. tickets were given out to students who could answer questions about Hip-Hop culture. One student had to freestyle on stage in order to earn his ticket. He’s now known as “Panda.”
Chris Campbell, a sophomore who transferred from Jackson State and is majoring in journalism, then brought the show back to poetry, or “Poetic Story.” The tone set by Chris’ somber poetry continued in Kimberlee Mays’ dance routine, which was wrought with emotion and physicality.
Tuscaloosa natives Wynt Earley and JayDotRain, who toured with the Bad Crowd throughout the Southeast over the summer and are getting ready to release new projects, followed her.
Jamarey Carter, a junior majoring in management information systems and creative writing, continued, holding a book and an imaginary drink in hand and reading poetry covering the topics of homosexuality and an encounter with a Filipino transgender man.
Following Carter was Kimberly Gillens’ “K-R-NAY” and the dance group Inferno! Their first performance was in Lakeside Dining hall in spring semester of 2010. Finishing off the night in their final performances by Kadeshflow.
