Just a couple of weeks after The Beatnuts and the Genius/Gza performed at Fall Fest on the Residential Quad, two of Tufts' very own are ready to showcase their hip-hop talents behind the mic. Juniors Ajahne Santa Anna and Connell Cloyd, aspiring artists, will be performing at Hotung tonight - not only to see if they have the ability to be MCs, but also, as Santa Anna points out, to "hopefully get other people into expressing themselves."
Since freshman year, Ajahne Santa Anna and Connell Cloyd have put their pens to paper and endeavored to make their words reach many. Cloyd reminisces about freshman year and how "me and my boys would come home on the weekends after a party and have sessions. We would just go on and on freestylin' off the top of our head."
As the year progressed and the sessions continued, the two started generating buzz among their friends, Cloyd says. The support from friends along with aspirations of putting out an album has led them to meticulously hone their skills through writing, freestyling, and performing.
Whether freestyling or consciously writing rhymes, both are quick to point out that their styles are unique. Santa Anna, whose stage name is Infinity, lists jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, Staten Island natives the Wu-Tang Clan, and Queensbridge representative Nas among his influences. From these artists and everyday experiences, Santa Anna derives his approach, which he describes as "incorporating the streets and knowledge I've gained from private institutions growing up."
Santa Anna remembers the night his freshman year that made him want to be a performer.
"I was at an open-mic night called Moonlight Vibes, and I decided on a whim to write a poem. I wrote it in like ten minutes and just went up there and read it. I received lots of good feedback. That experience, along with seeing Connell write, jumpstarted my drive."
But Santa Anna doesn't just want to write- he wants to be remembered. "We want to put out albums. Fifty years from now, I want college kids to still be listening to my music."
Cloyd, who goes by the stage name MPC, grew up in Tennessee, not would one would call a hotbed for hip-hop. Nonetheless, his passion for the art form would leave you to believe otherwise. At his first performance during a high school show in 11th grade, Cloyd says he was simply trying to do something different. But after his second performance in prep school and his experiences freshman year, Cloyd started getting serious.
Cloyd's most prominent influences are Three Six Mafia and several underground Tennessee rappers. Three Six Mafia's music has a southern-bounce feel to it, similar to what you'll hear in tonight's performance.
"I spit knowledge and consciousness too. That's what makes me different, I combine two different styles and make it something special."
Although the two secured a spot for the performance last semester, preparation for the show has not been easy. Both spent the summer writing both independently and together on new songs.
"The work that has gone into producing the show has been relentless," says Cloyd. "Me and Ajahne have put a lot of time and effort into this. We've been pulling a lot of all-nighters lately. Stayin' up all night and goin' to sleep at like eight in the morning, that's been the schedule this week. It's been a lot of work but everything has come together and we're ready to perform. We want everybody to see us."
The two performers don't want to let too much out of the bag regarding tonight's show. Santa Anna says the show will have a lot of variety.
"The performance has an album feel to it in that each song brings you something different. We'll have some R&B and hardcore rap... but we'll also be performing songs that will make everybody think, and we'll also be addressing the events of Sept. 11," he explained.
The performance is also a personal one. As Cloyd says "we spit what we live and do.... we want people to know we're serious about this."
There's no denying the excitement and passion that Santa Anna and Cloyd will hit the audience with. If you're tired of the references to platinum, ice, and thuggin' that overloads radio these days, tonight's performance offers a thought-provoking alternative that appeals to all lovers of music.
