Drew M. Hoidal ’29
Arts & Entertainment Editor
On Thursday Oct. 1, the Live DJ series held its first event in Underground Coffeehouse (UG), with an open tab and a set by DJ Marcus McGregor ’30, a freshman student at Trinity and a member of Trinity’s Temple of Hip Hop. UG, located under Mather Hall, was full of energy as students enjoyed music, conversation and complimentary drinks. The event brought a new sense of enthusiasm to Underground, where students could order a free drink of choice, dance and mumble song lyrics while connecting with fellow attendees. They experienced how different music can transform a familiar place into an environment where people can connect beyond their typical social circles.
Orchestrated through the Trinity Temple of Hip Hop, the Live DJ series, a series of events designed to bring students together through live DJ sets, in efforts to connect and celebrate art and culture.
Temple of Hip Hop is a student run organization that offers many opportunities for Trinity students to explore Hip Hop culture and express their creativity, giving students the chance to share their music in an uplifting positive environment. Trinity’s Temple of Hip Hop, is one of Temple of Hip Hop’s many national chapters, which receives funding and support to help its mission of preserving and documenting hip hop history. Through the academic school year, Temple of Hip Hop offers a variety of events for students to learn about the history of Hip Hop, connect with other vibrant minds and elevate Hip Hop music as a way for people to become inspired.
The International Hip Hop festival is one of the many activities Trinity’s Temple of Hip Hop organizes. The event allows students to collaborate and share their artistic talents while getting the opportunity to learn about Hip Hop artists from around the world. Individuals can come together through listening to the variety of diverse forms of expression at the International Hip Hop festival.
When Temple of Hip Hop began, its meetings took place in the UG on the Trinity Campus, where club events became a party hub for students. Since then, the chapter has expanded its energy beyond UG creating more opportunities for students to collaborate and share their work.
Andreia Soares ’27, co-president of The Temple of Hip Hop, has been involved with Temple since her junior year. She was first introduced to the Temple of Hip Hop through her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister who had served as the president of Temple. Soares was given a position on the e-board her junior spring and has made many efforts to help expand Temple’s reach as well as increase student involvement. Since her beginning of the position, she’s been enthusiastic about the club, promoting the organization to the Trinity community. Last spring, Soares recalls her time at the International Hip Hop festival as one of her most memorable experiences with the club, an event that brought community members together to listen to different artists and experience Hip Hop’s influence across cultures. Soares recalled a moment that occurred after the festival: there was an after party, where Temple of Hip Hop members got to come together to celebrate the unifying power of music, recognizing the thoughtful planning behind the event and the club’s outstanding promotion.
The Temple of Hip Hop does not just introduce students to Hip Hop culture, it builds a space where individuals can build relationships, feel a part of a creative community and discover new perspectives. For Soares, her admiration for the club is to welcome new members that come from different backgrounds and experiences. She emphasized that the club is about “finding taste and style” through the different people you meet and the variety of music tastes and perspectives the club challenges its members to engage with. In an interview with the Tripod, Soares was asked why the club serves as a crucial part of our Trinity community, in response, she stated, “In this digital age where everything is on your phone, messages, social media, music and art, the club creates an outlet for individuals to engage with art in a physical way. DJ’s will mix tapes on vinyls, so seeing this form of creation takes you off your phone and immerses you.”
DJ McGregor also shared a similar perspective on the value of experiencing music in person. McGregor has explored his passion for DJ-ing since his early years of High School when he was introduced to the music style by a few of his friends at The Hotchkiss School. McGregor claims since his introduction to DJ-ing he’s used it as a platform to share his musical tastes and bring individuals together through his love of music. McGregor mixes house music, rap, R&B and country, blending different genres to create an inclusive atmosphere for listeners to discover new sounds. Through his spectrum of music genres that he uses, he aims to create an atmosphere that makes students and all listeners more open minded. When asked about promoting the club, McGregor stated that he’s been able to promote the club through flyers, word of mouth and sharing with his friends the impact that this club has. Students could feel the energy of DJ McGregor’s music. Through events such as the DJ series McGregor aims to create an atmosphere where the impact of music encourages people to spread out and reaches all sides of campus. McGregor aims to create a space where people can congregate in a setting that cultivates a sense of community, welcoming artists and open minded individuals looking to expand their music palette.
The club will hold the DJ series through the course of the next few months where different types of people come, listen and bond over music and culture. The event will take place on select Tuesdays and Thursdays. For the full schedule of upcoming DJ series events, follow Temple of Hip Hop on Instagram at @trinityhiphop.