Wild style

OneManArmy has been to Seattle before, and an experience he had at the I-Spy venue his last time in town still resonates with him as he waits for his connecting flight out of the 108-degree weather in Phoenix.

"I was standing in the crowd, just having conversations," said the 26-year old emcee who also goes by the alias Lo Age. "A guy came up to me and said he likes to keep quotes from artists he respects. He asked me what inspires me. Of the nearly 100,000 things that inspire me I told him about the movie Gladiator. When I'm on stage I think of the slave owner talking to the Spaniard (Maximus) -- saying 'you have to win the crowd.'"

The crowd for today's end-of-the-year celebration of hip-hop at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre (ECT) won't be more than 200 when the show starts at 6:30, but it is promised something special. Along with the Michigan-based emcee, Minneapolis natives Los Nativos, husband and wife combination Wordsayer and Kylea whose impromptu duo ignited fans at the J-Live show recently, DJ Sayeed and breakdancing wizards of the Massive Monkee crew round out the bill.

All for $5 with student ID ($8 without), making a night of underground hip-hop as affordable as buying lunch on campus.

"Affordability was a main goal, and using the ECT allows us to avoid some of the lofty ticket prices at other venues around Seattle," event organizer Sam Chesneau said.

The event was planned several months ago and the marriage of the historical venue with the multi-cultural line-up is right on the money for the mission of the Ethnic Cultural Center. Its doors have always been open to the campus community, and the majority of the productions staged at the ECT are produced by Washington students.

"I'm identified as someone from the late '60s," Luis Ramirez, director of both the ECC and ECT, said. "I remember aside from the blues, psychedelic and folk rock music -- I was listening to the Last Poets. They are a model for some of the current hip-hop and so I'll be there enjoying the festivities along with the students."

Ramirez and the rest of his staff at the ECC have poured heart and soul into this event, and they will be staffing positions at the door and helping with security tonight. Promotions, scheduling, even the rides from the airport were all organized by the group in house.

"These things are full-time jobs, promoters get paid to do this for a living," said Ramirez.

It is the process of creating this event that brings pride to him. He sees students taking charge and problem solving on the fly, respecting the integrity of the resources provided while learning to maximize a small budget.

"The production cost of this show isn't chopped liver, but this is what we are here to do -- learn outside of the classroom," Ramirez added. "This is a commuter campus and our goal is to find ways to make the community smaller, beginning with keeping students on campus. There is a connection between the amount of time spent on campus and achievement of academic goals."

Even if that time spent is celebrating to the tune of these artist's underground sound. From Los Nativos emcees Chilam Balam and Felipe Cuauhtli's bi-lingual flows to the graffiti backdrop by Sneke of DVS Crew, this show has all the bases covered.

And the floors, too.

"We know how to work the crowd," Massive Monkee b-boy Terry "Domes" Guillermo said of his group's role in the performance. "We have done a lot of performances on stage, although we aren't competitively sharp at this point, our performances are. We have a dope show ready, the same one that had thousands of people at Key Arena on their feet."

The ECT is set up for a crowd-friendly experience. There is no need to fight for position around the circle of breaking fury because the padded seats ensure everyone a good vantage point.

"It's a spectator sport set-up," Chesneau added. "Seattle usually has spectating-type audiences so it will be a challenge to get the crowd hyped."

This is a challenge OneManArmy, all the microphone masters and the event workers have taken head on in the interest of having live music a stone's throw from the Terry and Lander dormitories. It may not improve your grades, but it is a chance to make the UW community smaller even if it is just for an evening.

"Tonight will be good wholesome entertainment, this is my third or fourth time in Seattle and every time I come back people that saw my show before bring more friends the next time," OneManArmy explained. "I'm still a fan and shows like this give us an opportunity to relate to the crowd on a personal level."

Consider this your personal invitation.