With all the violence circling traditional fraternities, it’s no wonder students are flocking to hip-hop cyphers on college campuses around the country.
Instead of being beaten, assaulted, humiliated and killed in some cases, these students have opted to find diversity and inclusion through another route – through hip-hop culture.
Hundreds of students at colleges all around the nation are part of hip-hop cypher groups as an alternative way of being included socially on campuses.
Check out some of the universities which have some nationally known hip-hop cyphers each week. These cyphers provide an outlet for students to students network, and relieve stress, through the physical activity of rapping.
Carnegie Mellon University Cypher Club
Students involved in Carnegie Mellon’s Cypher Club meet every Friday at 4:30 PM. There is no set location for this roving band of rappers, who will meet in a friend’s basement, a front porch, or anywhere they feel is conducive to their hip-hop cypher. The CMU Cypher was founded by senior computer science major Jacob Buckman back in 2014 and there’s usually about 15 members on any Friday night, participating in a cypher.
The UNCC Cypher
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte just got their newest hip-hop cypher club last month. The UNCC Cypher, which became an official organization on campus in April, takes over the student union building every Tuesday. Once inside, the students celebrate all the elements of hip-hop culture. Incredibly, The UNCC Cypher is just one of seven statewide student-run groups that exist in North Carolina alone.
Students of Hip-Hop Legacy – College of William & Mary
The Students of Hip-Hop Legacy is based at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. This group meets once a week, where they discuss the important issues in hip-hop, freestyle to release tension and network with other hip-hop heads. The group takes over William and Mary’s “Studio 2” to create an atmosphere that is welcoming, and inclusive for anybody who wants to attend. The Students of Hip-Hop Legacy has also branched out to include a blog, a podcast, and off-line events in the local community.
Rap Music Club at UCLA
Rap Music at UCLA meets once a week on Wednesdays from 9:00 PM-11:00 PM. This group discusses the latest music, concerts, and videos, In addition to “freestyle meet ups” for the students. The club is also known to skip their weekly meetings, so they can all attend the dopest local hip-hop shows together.
OSU Freestyle and Beatbox Club
For the past five years, Hip-Hop has been used as a tool for students to ease into campus life at Ohio State, thanks to the OSU Freestyle Rap and Beatbox Club. The OSU Freestyle Rap and Beatbox Club was started back in 2010 by students to foster relationships through the elements of Hip-Hop culture: DJing, B-Boying, Rapping, Art and of course knowledge. “To our core, we are all Hip-Hop heads,” said Ryan Hauldren. “These are some of my first friends that I’ve made…I come here, I release everything, I talk about problems that I might be having during the week, but at the same time this is fun to me.”
