UPDATED: Nov. 1, 2011, 1:16 a.m.

With the spotlight shining off Immortal Technique’s face dripping with sweat, the crowd’s energy shot up with the beats of his rap. The intimate crowd lined the stage, only a few inches away from him. They jumped up and down, mouthing each single word of his lyrics.

Hailing from the streets of Harlem, N.Y., Immortal Technique, whose real name is Felipe Coronel, performed in Schine Underground on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Hosted by La L.U.C.H.A, Latino Undergraduates Creating History in America, the event attracted 286 attendees. Four performances by three rappers and DJ G.I. Joe preceded Immortal Technique’s act.

Immortal Technique engaged the crowd with his constant energy, always moving around the whole stage. He performed his songs passionately with the three other rappers. Their energy was contagious.

Veronica Abreu, president of La L.U.C.H.A, said the group brought Immortal Technique to the stage to encourage diversity.

‘He embodies diverse people,’ Abreu, a senior in the School of Visual and Performing Arts, said.

According to his website, Immortal Technique and his family immigrated to Harlem while he was very young to escape the ongoing internal conflict in Peru, where he was born. Immortal Technique rapped for the crowd in both Spanish as well as English.

Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics such as class struggle, poverty, religion, government, rape, war and institutional racism.

Immortal Technique and three other rappers, wore ‘government = conspiracy’ shirts that told the crowd with overwhelming confidence to never trust the government. He then performed his infamous song ‘Mistakes,’ sending a message to the crowd that it is OK to make mistakes but not to repeat them.

‘Son, remember when you fight to be free, to see things how they are and not how you like ‘em to be,’ he rapped.

Immortal Technique pointed to the crowd and said the audience members might come from a well-resourced town, but they should still envision the pain and the situations of inner city struggles through his lyrics. He jumped into ‘Dance with the Devil,’ which told the story of a woman who was raped by her son to secure a spot in a gang. His songs painted brutal pictures to encourage people to stand up against corruption.

Immortal Technique explained that critics think his lyrics are too vulgar, but he doesn’t believe his lyrics need to be sugarcoated to reveal reality.

‘Life is about the real struggle and real pain,’ he said.

One of the rappers spiced things up by inviting a student from the crowd onstage to rap. The student hopped up onstage, grabbed the microphone with confidence and rapped like he had been doing it his whole life.

Surprised and impressed, the crowd and the rapper watched as the student rapped until another rapper kicked him off the stage.

‘You’re at my show, and you’re embarrassing me,’ he joked.

Immortal Technique ended the night by selling shirts, taking pictures and signing autographs for fans until it finally got so late that the building’s staff kicked the lingering crowd members out.

Immortal Technique wanted his fans at the concert to take away one main idea: Don’t settle for the wrong because it may be too difficult to fight.

‘I think everybody in this country knows the government’s corrupt. They’re conscious of it, but they’re not gonna do a thing about it,’ he said. ‘There are people that will, and me, I consider those people revolutionary.’

ssmarji@syr.edu

Published on October 30, 2011 at 12:00 pm