At 11 p.m. every Monday, people gather at the Free Expression Tunnel to participate in the energy that is the NC State Cypher. Rappers form a circle and spit bars, beatboxers complement flows, musicians bring guitars, saxophones and bongos and listeners sit on the steps leading down to the tunnel.
But the most recent Cypher marked the half-decade milestone since its start in 2010. The celebration was hosted by key members and founders of Cypher: Eternal the MC, Mike L!ve and Tuscon and deejayed by Chaundon from Golden Era Music. Speakers were set up, microphones, turntables, plenty of cameramen and even a surface to breakdance on. An expansive Cypher mural was spray-painted by graffiti artists dedicated to the Cypher’s birthday.
“You all are going to get a lot of culture, man,” Eternal said to the dozens of students watching. “If you didn’t know, hip-hop is more than just rapping. That is just one element.”
The four elements of hip-hop, Eternal said, are rapping, deejaying, b-boying and graffiti art.
The night started off with a handful of b-boys dancing to many classic hip-hop breaks, including one who was a 2012 alumni. They took a minute to speak about how this element of hip-hop broke barriers for them.
One of the dancers got on the mic and said, “Whatever country you are from, whatever color your skin is, however you are physically built, hip-hop brings everybody together.”
Graffiti artists Ill Tactics and DJ Elevate then spoke about the art form and their mural. A stylized wolf dominated the wall in honor of the school alongside “5th Annual NC State Cypher” in loud, eye-catching lettering. They had spent the majority of the day painting it, even though it rained earlier that afternoon.
The hosts asked the crowd what they wanted next: dancing, beats or bars. The demand for bars was overwhelming, thus Mike L!ve kicked off the rapping segment that lasted the remainder of the night.
Since its origin here on campus, the University Cypher movement has spread across the state. On Tuesday, UNC-Asheville celebrated its Cypher’s first anniversaryas well. There are also others at Appalachian State University, East Carolina University and UNC-Chapel Hill.
“Next year we want three times as many people,” said Tuscon, a Cypher leader. “We want brand new people, we want some of the elders to come back. We just want everything to be positive and the movement to continue. The Cypher is forever.”
Key messages and themes are communicated through the Cypher. One of the key commandments that has kept it going for so long is “keep the peace.” No physical fight has ever broken out in the five years it’s been going on. It is a self-contained environment, and if anything appears to be starting up, it gets squashed immediately. Police appreciate the organizers’ efforts to maintain a peaceful environment and keep a respectful relationship with them.
At midnight, the police were called to the Cypher due to a noise complaint. Members of the Cypher spoke with them and compromised by cutting off the sound system and keeping it at barebones vocal projection and beatboxing. An officer said they could’ve charged them with not having a sound system permit but didn’t because of the positive history the police has had with Cypher.
“Think of it this way: If you had brothers, and you and your brothers were wiling out … if you have a clean slate, then your parents don’t really have nothing to watch you on,” Mike L!ve said. “But if y’all continue to mess up and fight and they would probably nip you in the bud, watch you, and control you a little more. But we’ve always kept the peace, so there’s not much to worry about.”
Another message Cypher pushes is unity and respect. Being accepting and respectful of people from all walks of life is important to the ideal. “Respect the MC” is something constantly shouted out whenever a rapper is being talked over or disrespected.
The Cypher leaders will be hosting a show this weekend called, “A Stand Against Racism.”
“If you looked in that crowd, it was people of all different races, people of all different shapes and sizes,” said Darryl Scoggins, a freshman studying international business. “And everybody was just together, just jamming.”
“It mixes art with a positive message, something important that gives value to society,” said Jerome Simpson, a freshman in exploratory studies. “I’ll definitely be coming back next Monday.”
A founding member of NC State's Cypher performs a freestyle rap in front of the Free Expression Tunnel during the NC State Cypher's 5 year anniversary on Monday night.
