A Night of Hip-Hop

The NEIU Hip Hop Organization's "March Mad Illness" event held Friday, March 30, was a celebration of the group's 10th anniversary. An enlivened crowd gathered in Alumni Hall to hear performances by Iomos Marad, Rita J. and Mr. Greenweedz, FOOD (Decay & Selfish), Maintenance Crew, and Mass Hysteria. The show featured live spinning by DJ Monky & the Hip Hop Project as well as Live Art by Drew/Kepha.

A special performance by well-known B-Boy group, The Brickheadz, was a highlight of the evening. Members Wakka, Skywalker, Sean Rokka, Popcorn, C.J., and Hexstar did impressive breaking that left the crowd speechless. Surely human bodies were not meant to move in so many different directions.

Although the show as a whole was a great success, it noticeably lacked the performance of Iomos Marad, one of the best rappers in Chicago. He did not go on as scheduled and advertised. Marad's no-show was a great disappointment for many; he was the main draw of the evening.

Jenni Johnson, president of NEIU's Hip Hop Organization, explains that Marad was also booked at another show the same night and the club was under the assumption that he would be doing both shows. She adds that due to NEIU's policy, the show had to wrap up at 11:00pm, which would not have given him enough time to perform. "I am very proud of our show and hopefully next time we can extend the show to later hours," says Jenni Johnson.

Maintenance Crew (Ubiquity, Chantalism, Kash One and band), brought a lively energy to the stage. They have a new release titled "Simple Is The Way It's Spoken." Rita J & Mr. Greenweedz followed and played off each other in a spirited performance of their own.

Unfortunately, we were then forced to endure a dreadful performance by Mass Hysteria (Mike Treese, Gee-Field, & DJ Prescyse). They muttered a not-so-subtle slam against reggaeton before the announcement was made that Iomos Marad would not be performing.

Iomos Marad is a member of Chicago's Family Tree and the All Natural Hip-Hop label. In 2003, he released his debut solo album titled "Deep Rooted," which the Chicago Sun-Times ranked number 4 in its Notes From the Underground national review in December of that year. He released another brilliant album, "Go Head" in November of last year.

"We dedicate ourselves to provide respect to a culture that has been here for generations and will continue to be here forever," says the Northeastern Hip Hop Organization's myspace site. The group, which started in 1997, focuses on Hip Hop culture in the 5 elements: MC, B-Boy/Girl, Graf, DJ, Knowledge. They say the club exists to bring a positive connection between hip hop and society.