This is the second part in a continuing series on AU music groups. Next Monday: Spinto Band.
The steady beat of the bass shakes the basement of McKinley, bouncing off the walls and mixing with the vocal track. The voice on the recording is smooth and alluring, beckoning to all who descend the stairs to the recording studio. The facilities seem simple and bare. But in the basement audio tech studio, a group of college-aged students prepares a CD that could potentially launch multiple solo careers in the music industry.
In recent weeks, rumors have proliferated about an on-campus hip-hop student group living in McDowell Hall. On closer investigation, these rumors have been proven false. The group, known as Heavy Syndication, is not merely a ragtag gang of college students pining for stardom, but a larger record label with multiple artists from different areas of the country.
Heavy Syndication was started by a group of friends who were drawn together by a love of music and the fact that every member of the group could contribute something, in addition to being able to rap, according to Tom McLeod, the label's executive producer.
McLeod, a senior audio tech major at AU, said that he was able to use the campus audio tech facilities, which allowed the group to create CDs and mix tracks at a free, easily accessible site.
"This is a collaborative effort by AU students to start something," McLeod said. AU students or alumni do every aspect of production, including marketing, printing and distribution, he added.
The actual rap group from AU, Heavy Syndicate, combined with established hip-hop artists like Roger Brown and the Billa Click of Evanston, Ill., to create the label. More groups and singers from Howard University, AU and the D.C. Metro area were added later.
The artists' songs are not all optimistic, but always give an intellectual message, McLeod said. They reach people on both an intellectual level and an honesty level.
"It's challenging to define who we are, to define that thing that separates us from everyone else," McLeod said. "The challenge is the interesting thing."
McLeod said he puts in at least 22 to 24 hours a week in the studio, often staying up late to mix new tracks and record songs. He deals with the group's business side, helping organize shows, oversee production and deal with artists.
"A major record label is not necessary [for success]," said senior Sarah Spigelman, the group's director of artist relations. "What is necessary is to have a good grasp of the Internet and the music industry and be able to mold them together."
Heavy Syndication's goal is to bypass stores and major record label issues and go directly to the people, McLeod added. On Friday, Heavy Syndication did just that. They set up a table on the Quad to release a $5 compilation CD, with more than 20 tracks that highlight the different artists involved with the label. The group sold about 100 CDs that day.
But that's not the only way Heavy Syndication plans to reach people. McLeod said that technology allows people to distribute music via the Internet by sending downloadable files directly to people.
"The fact that we can use the studio for free means it directly turns into profit," Spigelman said, of eliminating the overhead associated with bigger companies and entertainment corporations. "It's almost like an anti record label."
The group plans to use their Web site (www.heavysyndication.com) to promote its artists and increase CD sales by offering free downloads of their music, ring tones for cell phones and other samples to keep the public's interest, McLeod said. A few of the artists on the label include Verse, a local D.C. rapper, Billa Click, Heavy Syndicate, Shifty from Evanston, Ill., Deuce, Blaze, Messiah and Shari, a vocalist from Howard.
Right now, the important thing is to earn the group name recognition so listeners get a feeling for the artists, said McLeod and Nick Chavez, head of marketing. The group hopes publicity generated by CD sales and the Web site allows the artists to establish successful solo careers without the complications involved with a major record company.
Since the majority of AU students involved in Heavy Syndication are seniors, the plan is to turn a profit by capitalizing on direct distribution, McLeod said. If the label is successful, and the CDs sell well, Heavy Syndication will have a budget to work from when the members graduate and no longer have access to the AU studio.
Looking ahead
Heavy Syndication intends for its artists to perform at AU's homecoming this year. Some will be perform on the Quad on Oct. 15. They plan to hold a party celebrating the compilation CD's debut at Bar Nun on U Street on Oct. 19.
The group is also hoping to perform at Howard's homecoming, and Shifty and Verse will release their solo albums Nov. 30. Next semester, there will also be a Heavy Syndication club on campus, Chavez said. The aim of the recently approved club is to promote multiculturalism through hip-hop.
The club also plans to host biweekly "mic nights" and showcases of spoken word, rap and poetry artists, Chavez said. The club may team up with other on-campus organizations, such as the Latin American Student Organization or the Black Student Alliance, he added.
Other future plans include the Trinity Project, a CD to be released in February that will showcase three separate artists, McLeod said. The project will be a joint AU-Howard production and will hopefully corner the D.C. hip-hop market as well as the college market.
Billa Click is set to begin recording next month for another CD that will be released in late April or early May. Heavy Syndication is currently recording "clean," or censored, versions of songs that can be played on the radio and at events such as homecoming.
For part one, featuring Darnel, visit the Sept. 27 issue in the Archives at www.TheEagleOnline.com.
