On the night of the March 24, 2015, a loud pulsating beat could be heard around the University Center (UC). The sound exuberated from the Little Theatre and attracted countless people who were nearby. The Pan African Student Union (PASU) hosted the arrival of the extraordinarily melodious traveling college band, Music Café. The event featured poets, lyricists, rappers, singers, and dancers. Leaders of music cafe KevMusicMan and Kourtney with a K, opened the event telling jokes and really getting the crowd pumped for the following show.

The first act was a poetry reciting by a group called Echo Intellect. They proceeded to verse their words in the style of a poetry slam, resulting in the crowd cheering in the manner of snapping their fingers. Tanesha Ray, freshmen education major, commented on the poetry stating, “Echo Intellect makes me want to start writing poetry.”

Second in the lineup came a female singer by the performance name of Nanni. She beautifully covered a Beyoncé song and had the crowd going wild over her long extended notes and passionate singing.

The rest of the event continued with extraordinary performances, including concert worthy rappers, touching poets with a strong message, and singers that can give a person chills. Music Café’s sole purpose of these tours is not just to entertain, but also to inspire and motivate listeners through music and words. They use audible art to send their message of “music is what feelings sound like.” Connor Granto, junior psychology major, stated that, “the performances were amazing. I am truly inspired.” The stationary band that backed up the singers and rappers had amazing talent as they proceeded to steal the show and really streamlined their playing abilities into a continuous melody that rocked the entire room.

Music Café has been to Kean University twice now, as well as hitting other major universities in the area, such as Fairleigh Dickenson University, Stockton University, Seaton Hall University, and William Patterson University. After the event, Joe Ogun, a Music Café performer, stated, “Another crazy performance at Kean University with Music Café. Shout out to everybody rocking with me!” Don’t miss Music Café the next time they come around!

More information about Music Café can be found on their twitter and Instagram pages, and information about their returning performances to Kean University can be found on Cougar Link pending any upcoming shows.