scene&heard

Last year, the Yale hip-hop scene was defined by the over-the-top lyrics and antics of rap group 108 Tongues, whose song “Fuck Harvard” generated massive backlash across the Ivy League community, leading some to conclude that
hip-hop simply could not be done at Yale. As the new school year begins, however, two members of the class of 2010 are quietly pursuing careers in the hip-hop industry. Ben Ogilvy, of Boston, and Ben Flores, of Idaho, draw from similar artistic influences and have both dealt with the awkward problems that
come with being white middle-class males making music that is deeply rooted in African-American culture. scene&heard sat down with Ogilvy and Flores to discuss their creative processes, the lackluster Yale music scene, and the transition from being a hip-hop fan to being a hip-hop musician.

1. Kenneth Dikas, on September 20th, 2007 at 10:26 pm Said:

   Among all that I’ve listened to (including myself), I’ve only heard one good rapper at Yale, and his name was Leveille McClain, c/o 2004 in a Yale group called the Sky Beneath. It’s just really hard to rap well.

2. Wahoo, on October 7th, 2007 at 12:27 am Said:

   Thank you for sharing!