Old school hip-hop comes to The Library

The tables are turning at The Library. 

Danusha Chenchik and two disk jockeys are hosting Old School Hip Hop Night tonight, in which pop music will be replaced with 80s and 90s old-school hip-hop.

When Chenchik asked if he could host an event, The Library agreed. He was originally planning on throwing a rave, but he quickly came up with a different idea.

Chenchik used to work as a promoter, and he has been planning events since high school. When he attended UNC-Asheville, he said he started throwing raves.

“I was biking on my way back home, and I thought raves were kind of overplayed and so I was just like, 'Wait, people love 80s nights and 90s nights with pop music, so why don’t I take the idea of something recognizable and old and nostalgic and apply it to old school hip-hop?” Chenchik said.

Chenchik said he figured the popularity of these nostalgia-based events, combined with the popularity of the recent film “Straight Outta Compton,” would create a great atmosphere for an event. 

Dave Wylie, the bar manager of The Library, said he liked Danusha’s idea.

“I’m open to doing any kind of event, especially if it’s going to break the mold and do something fun and interesting and bring it to those who want to hear it,” Wylie said.

Chenchik decided to collaborate with two other students, Erin McGibbon and Jerome Allen, who are both DJs for UNC's radio station, WXYC. 

McGibbon and Allen both agreed hip-hop doesn’t always get the attention it deserves in Chapel Hill.

“I don’t think that there is enough of a hip-hop scene in Chapel Hill,” McGibbon said.

Allen, who met Chenchik, said there is a noticeable lack of hip-hop shows in the live music scene in Chapel Hill as compared to Durham.

“There's a great deal of young producers in the Durham scene, but when it comes to the infrastructure of hip-hop shows going on, there really isn’t any (in Chapel Hill),” he said. “There needs to be a greater amount of resources for young artists.”

However, Allen said he believes the cyphers are a good vehicle for introducing people to hip-hop.

"There's the freestyle cyphers that occur in the Pit every Wednesday at 10 (p.m.), and that's created a good atmosphere for people being introduced to hip-hop," he said.

McGibbon likes to play a variety of old-school hip-hop, especially the more underground artists. Allen will be playing old-school hip-hop that is more politically charged.

"I've really grown to love 80s hip-hop — so NWA and more politically charged hip-hop Rakim," he said.

Dave Wylie said depending on how the event goes, Danusha Chenchik’s Wednesday night events may become a regular fixture at The Library.

@KyleyUnderhill

arts@dailytarheel.com