Students help start concert series

A respected professor, a gifted musician and an ambitious student are joining forces to help develop the hip-hop scene in Buffalo, from within UB's walls.

This Thursday night, The Icon will host the first show in a series of rap shows entitled the Throwback Series that features rap stars old, new, well-established and emerging. This week's acts include Wu Tang's Raekwon, Kool G Rap, R.A. the Rugged Man and UB's own Rhyson Hall.

UB junior media studies major Nate Peracciny is well-established in the community and organized the Throwback Series. With the help of UB American studies professor Kush Bardwarj and his business partners, Peracciny was able to bring a show to Buffalo that's tantamount to the talent scheduled for UB's Fall Fest.

"It's more than a concert. It's actually like a branded event that we're doing," Peracciny said. "It's an event with new school, old school, legendary and local talent within the hip hop community."

The show will be hosted by Bardwarj, a.k.a. "Professor B." He feels that the Throwback Series is something much greater than your ordinary Thursday night bar romp through downtown clubs.

"What makes the Throwback Series important is the fact that it's bringing certified legends to Buffalo," Bardwarj said.

The star-studded weekly event is a sign that the Buffalo hip-hop scene is still breathing. The Throwback Series is a great opportunity for UB students and Buffalo residents to enjoy top-notch hip-hop performances in their hometown.

"We have a very good core of independent hip-hop here in Buffalo. Whether it's Baby Steps or it's Deep Thinka Records, we have various artists who can really make a dent in the national hip hop scene," Bardwarj said. "Buffalo is the city of music, I don't care if it's Rick James or the Goo Goo Dolls. Buffalo is the Queen City and you know we got something to offer."

The inception of the Throwback Series goes to show that someone with enough ambition and determination can make things happen.

"I'm not a DJ, I'm not an MC, I'm not gonna come at it like that. I'm just a guy that likes putting things together and working with the right people," Peracciny said.

With the likes of Raekwon and Kool G Rap headlining the upcoming show, Peracciny hopes to continue to bring more rap legends into Buffalo. Some names that have been speculated for later shows include legends like KRS One, Rakim, Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh.

Senior psychology and African-American studies major Rhyson Hall will be performing at the show. Rhyson, known for his Spring Fest performance last year, is regarded as a promising up-and-coming artist.

Rhyson spoke to The Spectrum about the Throwback Series and the direction that the rap scene is heading. The humble, yet insightful, artist said certain bar owners are hesitant about scheduling hip-hop shows such as the Throwback Series or Baby Steps during the weekends because they feel that hip-hop acts won't bring as large a crowd as rock concerts.

"The bar owners and promoters are afraid that if you do it on the weekend they're not going to get people to come," Rhyson said. "But it's a totally different crowd from the people that go to the bars on the weekdays. So it's just all backwards."

Rhyson has the greatest praise for those artists who aren't afraid to speak their mind. Rap, he claims, has become too structured and commercial.

"I feel like hip-hop should be more balanced, but I'm not one of those cats that's like 'Oh, you shouldn't talk about this or talk about that,'" Rhyson said. "I listen to all types of hip-hop. If I feel what you're saying and I feel like it's genuine then I like it."

In reference to rap and hip-hop becoming too commercial, Rhyson, Peracciny and Bardwarj shared a similar theory that summed up conglomerates like Warner Brothers and Sony music: categorical genres are created by corporations, who hunt down and claim artists once they see a possibility for profit.

However, there is true talent and individualism in underground rap. Bardwarj put it best.

"The corporate interest has never been to strengthen and empower the culture," he said. "Corporate interests are about making money off a culture, they don't care if they suck it dry and kill it."

But the "Throwback Series" is a healthy reminder that hip-hop is thriving, if only in musical pockets of Buffalo like The Icon.

Raekwon and company perform at The Icon Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24.