Hip-hop began as a product of street ingenuity out of the South Bronx. From the projects to the subways, lyrical geniuses stepped up with voices that could not be silenced. In a world of its own, today is all about the flashy chains, hydraulic cars and beautiful girls. But beneath all the media portrayals, there is a hip-hop revolution in effect. Artists are reverting back to their old-school ways and embracing their roots. The University’s own WBML radio station is front and center for it. 

WBML, which stands for Where Black Music Lives, was created in the ’80s and broadcasts live out of the African-American Cultural Center online 24/7.

“Hip-hop within itself originated from skill, from actual battle rapping, and I feel like that’s what is missing from hip-hop,” said Nadia Rose, general manager of the WBML and a senior in Media.

For this reason, WBML hosts an annual cypher, in which artists gather to freestyle to a continuous beat with other rappers. At Saturday’s Cypher 3.0 event, rappers competed to win a Complex Magazine and ThisIs50.com feature, along with other prizes.

The cypher concept has become a proving ground for the best artists to come face to face with each other. The nature of the battle is raw, with no rhymes prewritten. It truly forces the rapper to see if they can handle the pressure and still rhyme and rap.

“The cypher itself is just where a collective group just says what they want to say. They vibe off of each other,” Rose said.

WBML has hosted a cypher the past two years; this is the third cypher to date. The cypher brings rappers from all over to compete against one another in a friendly battle. Rose’s mentor, Isra Shatat, began the cypher competition in an effort to bring back the original skill and feel of hip-hop. After finding out about WBML as a sophomore, Rose followed in the footsteps of her mentor by extending the event this year.

This year’s cypher had 10 contestants, including Chuck L.I., Spud Cotton, Theo Means, eGo, Young Blu, D.R.E.W., Lady A, Halo, E.Nos and LG Kid Real. These contestants come from very different places and have their own styles, but each possesses a talent and true love for hip-hop and what he or she does. 

While warming up for the event, which was held Saturday in the basement of the Red Herring, the contestants talked about developing their passion. 

“I was 9 years old. I walk into the record store and I see … 50 Cent’s ‘Get Rich or Die Trying’ album,” Theo Means said. “I was like some suburban Korean kid that never listened to rap before, but either way I just saw the album … and ever since then I was like, this what I’m gonna do.”

Another rapper in attendance gained interest in music at a young age.

“I liked listening to lyrics and rhythm. In Chicago, my grandfather, he used to always have me listening to jazz. That’s when I got started into hip-hop,” LG Kid Real said.

As the rappers prepared, they found comfort in their own rituals and sources of inspiration.

“I’m a very analytical person. I find inspiration in my lows and my highs,” E. Nos said. “Everything I go through, I just try to be me as much as possible.”

There were two female rappers in the contest — Halo and Lady A. 

“I feel like men respect women who are rapper because … it’s something unique. I feel like they will give me my, you know, time to shine,” Halo said on how she felt about being one of the only other women in the cypher.

As people slowly filtered in, the anticipation rose in the basement of the vegetarian restaurant and coffeehouse located on the corner of Oregon and Matthews.

DJ Julian took on the task of spinning music for the event, as WBML and Tau Kappa Epsilon members took the stage to open the night up with their own cypher. Far from serious, they faced off each other with playful jabs and rapping.

Soon after, the rules were announced. The cypher consisted of five rounds, 10 minutes each. The first four rounds allowed all the contestants to cypher with each other. The last round was the cypher battle, where the final two faced each other.

At the end of each round, the judges decided which two contestants were eliminated. The judges included DJ A Ron, Premiere Central Illinois DJ, Isra “La La” Shatat, last year’s WBML general manager and a G-Unit intern, and Dave Coresh, Cypher 2.0 champion who was featured on BET’s Sprite Hip-Hop Awards Cypher. 

After an intense set of four rounds, Lady A and Young Blu made it to the final round. With all the lights and cameras pointed at the two, each grabbed a microphone and took turns battling it out. The DJ scratched the music off and the judges deliberated as the crowd and finalists waited for a decision.

Judges expressed how impressed they were and Dave Coresh announced the winner. Young Blu was crowned the winner of Cypher 3.0.

Rohaina can be reached at [email protected].