CSUN’s Hip Hop Culture Club meets every week to discuss the ways in which hip hop appreciation can bring people together as a community.

“It’s a new vision on hip hop and art,” said business management major Oscar Cortez. Cortez is the club’s DJ and provides the music for most of the events, he said. The club was created two years ago by CSUN graduate Timothy Rhyme and has become a platform for students to come together and bond around music, he said.

“We have a lot of tools available. We got producers, we got rappers, we got engineers, we got the studio. We’re just trying to keep the art alive,” said CTVA major Quinn Fernandez. Fernandez, whose artist name is “Matua,” wants students to know that the Hip Hop Culture Club provides a platform for meeting other people who share an interest in hip hop.

The club holds monthly events called “The Mixers” in the USU Games Room, intending to bring people together to socialize and perform their original raps and verses.

“We try to provide a platform for artists who don’t know where to start,” Cortez said. Each of the mixers give two or three breaks in between performers to give people a chance to interact and make connections with others. The events are treated like an open mic, where there is a set list and people can add on later if they want to perform, Cortez said.

“You can join the club if you like hip hop, period,” said club president Gabriel Luansing. Luansing became the president of the club at the beginning of this semester and encourages anyone who is interested to join the club. People can join if they make their own raps or if they are just fans of hip hop, he said.

Luansing writes his lyrics down when he gets the right mood.

“I get a lot of inspiration from certain artists and just listening to music,” he said. Luansing’s artist name is “Mr. Master” and one out of his many favorite artists to listen to for inspiration is Royce da 5’9.

“It’s nice to get to interact with people who have a fascination for hip hop,” Asian American studies major Von Bondoc said. Bondoc has been in the club for about a year and has been interested in hip hop for 10 years, he said. Bondoc, whose artist name is “Nonaizen,” said he writes lyrics inspired by the ups and downs in life. He thinks it’s important for people to listen to something they can relate to, Bondoc said.

The club meets in the Sierra Hall room 279 every Tuesday at 4 p.m. to talk about plans for the next mixers and sometimes brings in guest speakers to talk about what it’s like being in the industry, Cortez said. The club also meets every Wednesday in front of the Oviatt library to showcase rappers on campus. In the future, the club hopes to be able to spread out to more college campuses and be able to incorporate art and film into the music, Cortez said.

“We all just talk to each other about our art and everything, and give each other advice and try to boost each other up,” Fernandez said. “We try to bring out the best in everyone.”

The club is less concerned about discussing only hip hop music. The club is more interested in being a place for students to feel like they’re a part of a community that was made from the appreciation of music, Luansing said. Students can attend the next Hip Hop Culture Club mixer on April 28 at 8 p.m. in the USU Games Room.