For the past four years, Sammy Eversole stood on stage in Carter Hall and left his heart on the floor performing original raps. The junior radio television major has taken home the gold in group artistic interpretation every year he’s competed in Live at the Apollo, but this year he’s entering a whole new category and taking on the challenge alone.
“I try to keep my raps as real as I can,” Eversole said. “I rap about life situations and it comes from the heart. This year I’m doing a relationship song focusing on break ups.”
Since Eversole is performing solo this year he’s adding a new aspect to his usual routine. He will be drumming to make the beat as he raps.
The annual campus wide talent show, Live at the Apollo, will be 6 p.m. Saturday in Carter Hall.
The event that usually takes place at the end of October has been bumped up to fall on Parents and Families Weekend said Danielle Beebe, the senior administrative assistant of the Multicultural Center.
“It was sort of a last minute decision to move the date,” Beebe said. “There wasn’t much going on during that weekend so we decided to move it up and give the families something to do Saturday night.”
The competitors are separated into four different categories depending on their act. The categories are lyrical, theatrical, rhythmic and artistic interpretations.
Every act must be under four minutes, and first, second and third place in every category will take home a cash prize. This year there are 23 different performers, Beebe said.
Returning for the second year in a row to host the show is 106.1 Kiss FM DJ Nino NCognito.
The USI alumnus was approached by the Multicultural Center to host the event again and was more than happy to take the gig, NCognito said.
“It’s very exciting and fun to be on the other side of the mic,” NCognito said. “I competed in Live at the Apollo when I was in school and took second place with two of my buddies when we did a rap medley. It’s very cool seeing all the new talent and maybe even discovering the next big thing.”
NCognito tries to make the night as fun and personal as possible by feeling the vibe from the audience and never stealing the spotlight too much from the performers.
“Most of the night is improv,” NCognito said. “I think the more I plan and script the night the less fun it is. I let the mood dictate the flow of the night.
The free event is open to everyone but the audience is warned that the show is not G rated. There’s no cussing allowed but some of the material may not be appropriate for a younger audience.