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.
According to The Lantern, OSU Freestyle Rap and Beatbox Club was formed in 2010 by students to foster relationships through the Five 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, a third-year in industrial systems engineering. “These are some of my first friends that I’ve made (at OSU)…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,” Love said. “I don’t have to go and party, as long as I come here I’m good.”
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSaXPhT7cmk |
Club members from all background meet on a regular basis, where they hone their Hip-Hop skills, discuss important topics and make important decisions about things like career choices.
The current President of OSU Freestyle Rap and Beatbox Club is Adam “Dot” Bryant, who is a fourth-year strategic communications major. He started rapping in eighth grade thanks to Nas and Chance the Rapper. He said the club’s becoming more active in the local Hip-Hop scene in Columbus, thanks to performances at venues like the Scarlet, Skully’s Music Diner and the Grey Cafe.
“Everyone’s been growing, every time we perform it’s a better show than the time before,” Bryant said of the group’s overall success with membership and live outings.
Check out more on OSU’s Freestyle Rap and Beatbox Club here.
