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Inflowential exhibits the hallmarks of the best acts on the college music scene - originality, creativity and eclecticism.
Jason Rzepka, mtvU's director of communications
On April 25, Vintage21 is hosting Inflowential and Kooley High in an mtvU Campus Invasion '08 sendoff party that begins at 8 p.m.
By Dave Pond, Web Communication
An eclectic hip-hop crew comprised solely of current and former NC State students is on the cusp of stardom after being named a finalist in mtvU's Campus Invasion '08 competition.
Inflowential was among three finalists selected from thousands of eligible artists by mtvU, an online, on-campus and television network that reaches more than 7 million college students across the country. A pair of earlier voting sessions narrowed the competition to 25 and 10 bands, respectively, before the three first-place winners were selected last week in online balloting.
"I can't even describe how excited I am, or how big this is for the band," said guitarist and keyboard player Kyle Phelps, a junior computer engineering major at NC State. "We're all ecstatic and so grateful for everybody that voted for the first few rounds.
"The support we've received from the NC State student body has been tremendous the past three weeks, and it has really pushed us to want to do well in the competition not only for us but for NC State as well."
On May 4, Inflowential will perform before thousands of fans at Campus Invasion Music Festival in Boston, Massachussets, opening for a number of acts including multiplatinum recording artist Wyclef Jean.
Other first-place winners will play shows in Philadelphia and in Maryland during the same week, and a yet-to-be-determined grand-prize winner – who will be chosen in online balloting that continues through early May – will earn a prize package of $10,000 cash, new cell phones from co-sponsor AT&T and the opportunity to host an episode of mtvU's "Dean's List" program.
"Of the original 25 seminfinalists, we were the only one from North Carolina to be selected," said Alexander Thompson ('06), a.k.a. Charlie Smarts. "It felt great and it was just reassurance that we are doing the right thing as far as our sound goes, because that's all they have to rely on as far as the first cut is concerned.
"It's a great thing anytime somebody likes your music, because it means the music can stand on its own."
mtvU judges agree with Thompson's assessment of Inflowential's sound.
"Inflowential exhibits the hallmarks of the best acts on the college music scene – originality, creativity and eclecticism," said Jason Rzepka, mtvU's director of communications. "The group clearly stood out as one of the most impressive to enter the competition, and now it's up to NC State students to propel Inflowential to victory."
Thompson relishes the thought of his crew earning one of the coveted Campus Invasion tour slots, but knows that to make Inflowential's dream come true, all of the band's supporters need to log on and cast their votes.
"It's not just about the music - it's more about whether there is a movement behind it," he said. "We believe that NC State – with the way the Wolfpack family gets behind anything – has the best boosters in the world, and that if people will come through for us if they know NC State is represented positively in a nationwide competition."
Taking form in the spring of 2003 at NC State, Inflowential is comprised of a pair of MCs, a bass player, a guitarist, a DJ (WKNC 88.1 FM's James Meyer, a.k.a. Ill Digitz) and an extraordinary vocal percussionist in lieu of a drummer, who handles all percussion parts without the use a drum machine or looped beats of any kind. The band has toured up and down the eastern seaboard, opening eyes and ears from Arkansas to New York City.
"In every state we go, we play songs dedicated to North Carolina," Thompson said. "We have people come up after the shows and say that they didn't know there was so much talent coming out of North Carolina.
"I ask them, 'Have you seen American Idol?'," he said with a laugh, referring to the popular television show that seems to have a North Carolinian in the finals every season.
Inflowential's sound shies away from what Thompson calls the "rah-rah, gun-blast" rap music so prevalent in today's pop culture, and leans more toward the smart, party-music stylings of A Tribe Called Quest, Blackstar and The Roots.
In 2004, three of the Inflowential's members (including Thompson) played key roles in creating the on-campus Hip Hop Organization (H20) in hopes of highlighting the positive aspects of hip-hop music and the accompanying culture.
"Our music is not your ordinary hip-hop music," he said. "It's music that you can relate to as a person. It's not all commercialized - we make music because we like to make music."
Admittedly, it takes remarkable business acumen – as well as a bit of luck – for any musician to make a living under the bright stage lights, and Thompson was quick to note that Inflowential's early success wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for what he and his fellow bandmates learned at NC State.
"Claudia Kimbrough teaches an Integrated Marketing Communications course which really helped me learn about all the different aspects of marketing yourself and the ways to go about that," said Thompson, who majored in business with a concentration in marketing. "I'm two years out of school, and I'm still using those skills every day."
The final round of Campus Invasion voting continues online through May 8, 2008, on mtvU's website.
