By Brianna Holcomb

Special to the Chronicle

“Honestly I wanna change history/ History may repeat itself but there’s always room to make new history/ [I wanna] be able to be iconic be known for my work ethic and music,” says R&B artist B. Morgan in one of his original songs. B. Morgan was not the only artist looking for success at the Dean’s List Tour on Friday

The Dean’s List Tour is hosted by Hofstra’s club 6th Element, the only hip-hop club on campus. This free concert consisted of 13 performances by rappers, singers and dancers. On Friday night the student center theater was packed with students, friends and family.

Tommy Gunz, a member of Def Jam Recordings, also attended. Gunz does the marketing and promotions for Def Jam, sending out records to radio stations as well college campuses.

“I’ve seen the movement for the Dean’s List through Facebook and I always respect the next up [and-coming artists] and I wanted to support…I think its dope that they created this,” said Gunz.

Besides working at Def Jam he is also the CEO of Kingpin Promotions and editor for GoodFellaz TV. Not only did he come to support the artists, he also brought along some giveaways for the audience members.

The show started off with a rapper named Frank Knight or Frank Knizza. This very energetic rapper performed his song “McCartney,” as well as a few others. The Brooklyn native was inspired by Jay-Z and Nas as well as other ’90s rappers. His lyrics come from day-to-day situations as well as his friends. This was not his first performance, but it was his first time performing on a Hofstra stage. The reaction he gained from the audience shows it may not be his last time gracing the stage at Hofstra University.

The show continued with another Brooklyn rapper by the name of I.O.D. He commanded the stage with his rap “20,” a fan favorite on SoundCloud being played almost 3,000 times. The song was about the awkward transition from teenage years to adulthood . “I’m not a teen and I’m not an adult.” This is a song that many college students can relate to whether they are 20 or not. He started performing around the age of eight at open mic nights and at 16 became serious about his music. He is signed to the label City Creepers and will be dropping his mixtape on Nov 1.

B. Morgan an impressive performer who quickly grabbed the attention of the audience with a few a capella bars before singing his song “Believe Me.” This artist has been singing all of his life, inspired by family and artists like R. Kelly, The Temptations and Sam Cooke. His voice surprised the crowd as well as his another talent, rapping. B. Morgan is clearly a very talented individual his writing and vocal skills making him a well-rounded artist.

Rebecca Sol wants to inspire people “To be more, do more and love,” using her music. She is a music education major at Queens College and started playing guitar three years ago. With her guitar in hand she performed two of her original songs, “Tug of War” and “Different Evolution.” Both are based off of experiences she faced in her life. She is an artist who is aware of what is going on in the world, making her inspirational and insightful. Rebecca’s neo-soul style comes from artist like Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys.

Just like Sol, T. Walker works very hard at his music. He started his performance with his single “I Don’t Give Up” which has almost 10,000 views on YouTube. This Long Island rapper amazed the crowd with his rap skills spitting a freestyle for the audience. He started his rap career writing poetry at 17. Two of his poems were published in “Endless Horizons” volumes one and two. From there a friend convinced him to start rapping and he hasn’t stopped yet.

If you are a fan of hip-hop you know the name Sylvia Robinson – also known as the mother of hip-hop. Her granddaughter, LeA Robinson performed in the Dean’s List Tour as well. This young woman’s voice was definitely meant for the music industry. Performing her single, “Higher,” LeA captured the audience with this fun song. She also surprised the audience by rapping, proving that she is more than just her singing voice.

The Dean’s List Tour not only had outside acts, but a few from Hofstra as well. Matthew Martinez, also known as Young Hookz, performed “Sha’ir.” Not only is he a rapper and Hofstra student, Matthew is also the current president of 6th Element. Matthew’s confidence exuded from behind the microphone, and the crowds cheers confirmed that there’s a reason he holds this position.

Another Hofstra native was preformer, Tune$. This performer is a triple threat in the music industry as a rapper, dancer and producer. Keeping up with theme of freestyling for the night, Tune$ also spit a few bars a capella for the crowd.

Closing the show was Enonomous who was also one of two MCs for the night. His fun loving personality made him a great MC, but at the end of the night he was known for his ability to rap.

The performers gave their all on the stage, proving that they are more than capable of making a name for themselves in the industry. Lisa Guzman, the vice-president of 6th Element, was extremely satisfied with the event. She expressed great praise for the hard work that she and the other members put into the production of the tour. The effort was definitely showcased in the end. If you did not get to see the show, the artist names along with their social media sites are listed below.

Frank Knight: frankknizza.com, soundcloud.com/frank knight, facebook.com/frankkinghtmusic (Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr) @FrankKnizza

B. Morgan: (twitter instagram facebook) @IAMBMORGAN, www.IAMBMORGAN.com

Young Hookz: (Instagram/Twitter) @mr_matt_murdock

I.O.D: (Instagram/Twitter) @iamiod

We Are V: @WeAreV (Instagram/Twitter) Facebook.com/WeAreV0

Tune$: wongtunes.com, wongtunes.bandcamp.com @WongTunes (Twitter)

T.Walker: @T3Walker (Instagram and Twitter)

Enonomous: (Twitter) @_enonomous (Instagram) @enonomous

LeA Robinson: @TheLeARobinson (Twitter) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmtndEZJvWQ

6th Element: @the6the (Instagram)