On a late Monday night, a circle of students near the Free Expression tunnel can be found.  The small crowd, intrigued by the rapping coming from within the circle is not a random campus gathering as most passersby might assume. Instead, the regular Monday night event and crowd is a “cypher” – the hip-hop term for a circle of rappers that come together to “spit rhymes.”

The idea was conceived by Raleigh native Mike Green. Also known as “Live,” Green is a crew member of the group, God Cypher Divine.  

“We had an album that hadn’t [been released] yet and we wanted to take photos and create essentially a promo video for the album,” Green said. “We thought it would be [a good idea to meet] near the Free Expression tunnel with all these people we have done shows with and rhyme in front of it.  Graffiti is a part of hip-hop culture and that’s what initially drew us to the tunnel.”  

The unofficial name of the Monday night cypher at the Free Expression tunnel is “Monday Night Raw,” which has been up and running since February 2010.  The cypher typically starts around 11 p.m. and can last until the early hours of Tuesday morning.  Green described the event as an epitome of the underground Raleigh hip-hop scene.

Freddy Staton is a junior in anthropology, but at the cypher he is known as “Freddy Skywalker.”  He was at the very first cypher and has been coming ever since.  

“Someone walked up to me and said that a cypher was going on outside so I went to check it out,” Staton said. ”There were only a few people out there at that point, but we spread the word and eventually [reached] over a hundred people just chilling out here in the middle of the night.”

Farouk “SaySo” Bseiso, senior in communications, was another familiar face at the Monday night cyphers.

“I heard about this from a girl in the coffee shop,” Bseiso said. “She noticed I was writing rhymes and told me there was a rap cypher by the Free Expression tunnel on Monday nights.  One night, I decided to show up and go in.  I’ve been rapping since middle school and I had a lot of material that I wanted to share.  I started coming every week because I enjoyed it.”

Due to the cypher, the Free Expression tunnel has been a bonding agent for students and individuals from different walks of life. Bseiso happened to be one of them when he first visited the cypher in the Fall of 2010.

“You meet a lot of different people here and they all have something unique to rap about.  It’s interesting to come out here and see the different kind of flows and wordplays.  Some people are freestyling while others have planned their rhymes ahead of time.  I’m a huge fan of hip-hop and it’s a nice ambiance. I’ve always loved rap, but it was a hidden talent of mine for a long time.  I’m happy that I found a place where I can showcase what I’ve loved to do for so long,” Bseiso said.

For Bseiso, rap is also a form of empowerment.

“I have a stutter, but, when I rap, the stutter goes away,” Bseiso said. “My voice is smooth, strong and clear. There are no blockages or hesitations; it’s just me speaking.  I don’t have to go through the same impediment I deal with day in and day out.  It’s an escape to regular speech.”

The setting is informal and anyone and everyone is welcomed to not only watch, but partake in the rapping.  

“There’s poetry, freestyle, rhymes – anything goes,” Staton said.  “It’s a free, non-judgmental environment. As an artist, it means a lot to me that we can all just come out here and show our talent and everyone is going to respect it no matter what your style is or what you rhyme.  This is not only a way for me to get my music out and grow as an artist, but to experience other artist’s talents as well.”

Bseiso agreed with Staton about the cypher’s atmosphere.

“It’s a very easy environment.  Anyone can come in and rap.  Everyone will respect you for having the courage to come into the cypher and show your stuff.  I’ve met a lot of guys and we’ve become friends.”

Rustin McWhorter, freshman in nuclear engineering, happened to be walking back from the library to his dorm last Monday night and came across the cypher.  He and his friends heard them rapping and decided to stop and listen.

“When I first dropped by, I was a little confused at what was going on, but I liked rhyming and they sounded really good,” McWhorter said. ”It’s interesting to watch and you get to hear fresh rhymes. I’ve been telling my friends who are into hip-hop and free styling about it.”

While word of mouth has spread news about the cypher’s existence around campus, many people still stumble upon it in the same fashion that McWhorter did – a random Monday midnight trip through the Free Expression tunnel.