On Friday, April 7, 2006, Guilford College, CAB, and Fortified Entertainment, Inc., presented “Six Degrees of Separation,” a show featuring different local crews currently making noise in the Greensboro hip hop scene. The show was organized by local hip hop stalwart Branden Thompson, a.k.a. B-Star, of Fortified Entertainment, and starred several other local hip hop crews and artists, including Mr. Rozzi, Gav-Beats, Shef Seenya, 9th Floor (Celinski and Ethemadassassin) and Brandon D, among others. Despite the poor attendance, the artists held the stage down for a solid five hours, displaying the great diversity of the growing musical landscape of Greensboro, which was evident in the fusion of reggae, hip hop, poetry and soul.

If you’ve been to any events on Guilford’s campus concerning hip hop in the least, you’ve probably seen Mr. Rozzi and B-Star representing their respective crews, handing out flyers promoting upcoming events, and selling CDs. Both of these Greensboro hip hop mainstays were performing on Friday night, and even managed to share the stage with their crewmembers.

Mr. Rozzi brought out Bakwoodz to perform during the latter half of his set, and B-Star brought out his Fortified Entertainment artist Shef Seenya. Shef, hailing from Trenton, N.J., did his own set demonstrating his mastery of both dance and hip hop. Major label artists of either genre rarely attempt this, and their attempts have mixed results. Shef was an exception to this on Friday, proving he could rock a microphone using both styles.

Brandon D, the Greensboro native who has recently exploded onto the local scene with his CD “Rolling with the Punches” (which includes songs featuring Anthony Hamilton and Rico Barrino, brother of American Idol winner and High Point native Fantasia) was onstage in full force on Friday, showcasing both his own talents and those of Naps Krew member Panama Black. If there was anyone in the crowd who was unaware of Brandon D’s stage and microphone presence as a rapper, they’re probably aware now after hearing him perform his local hits “Da Kak Joint” and “That’s Wassup” both of which are available on “Rolling with the Punches.”

Joining Brandon D was Philadelphia native Gav Beats. Before Gav Beats’ set, Gav’s cousin Brandon came out on stage to keep the crowd alive, singing the Wyclef Jean hit “Gone ’til November.” Once onstage, Gav used a nice combination of an MPC4000 sampler and a live band. The music is a blend of soul and hip hop, and he demonstrated several styles throughout his set, switching from singing catchy melodies to showcasing his rapid fire flow over old school hip hop beats.

Gav’s energy got the crowd moving, especially when he pulled sophomore Jillian Scroggins on stage to sing exclusively to her.

“In that moment, I was in a state of ecstasy,” Scroggins said.

Unfortunately, the crowd was not thick enough to do justice to this collection of local talent, possibly due to a lack of off-campus promotion and what some have called relatively expensive tickets at $10 each.

“I felt like for all the effort and heart these guys put into this show, they deserved to be playing to a packed house,” said first-year Bram Crowe-Getty. Nevertheless, the spirits of the artists couldn’t be broken, as Brandon D jumped onstage, leading the way for several others to join B-Star for a grand finale.

All of the artists performed as if they were in a packed Madison Square Garden instead of a near-empty Dana auditorium, which is the mark of a true entertainer.

“I wish more people were here to see it,” B-Star said. “But it’s alright.”

Profiles of some of the performing artists:

Name: Branden Thompson

Alias: B-Star

Age: 24

Hometown: Fayetteville, N.C.

Influences: “My brother”

Albums: “Fortified” available April 7

Name: Gavin Williams

Alias: Gav-Beats

Age: 26

Hometown: Philadelphia

Influences: Jay-Z, Run DMC, and Slick Rick

Albums: Debut w/ artist Latoya June 4

Name: Brandon Davis

Alias: Brandon D

Age: 24

Hometown: Greensboro

Influences: “Anybody that puts out good music?”

Albums: “Rolling with the Punches” available @ BrandonD.org

Name: Shef Seenya

Age: 30

Hometown: Trenton, NJ

Influences: Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Mos Def, KRS One, and Sly and Robbie

Albums: “Stray Cat” coming soon from Fortified Entertainment