Heads were bobbing and hips were hopping to the sounds of upbeat funk, airy synth, and soulful rhythm and blues from local artists at St. Edward’s University’s Hip-Hop on the Hilltop.

Kicking off the evening of Oct. 3 was Bagheera, filling Dujarie Lawn with a hybrid of chillwave, disco, and house music that slowly enticed students to get on their feet and bust a move.

“Don’t be afraid to dance,” group members Aidan Kennedy, a fellow Hilltopper, and David Elkin said to encourage audience members.

“I think [Kennedy] is really good,” student Robert Fernandez said. “I’ve been a fan of his stuff for a while now, so it’s cool to see him in a school setting.”

The tone changed from fun dance music to meaningful and spiritual lyrics that students could connect to when Bavu Blakes took the stage. Having performed with artists such as The Roots, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Erykah Badu and many others, Blakes is one of the biggest names in hip-hop to come out of Austin.

The event was a success as more students were present for this year’s event than in previous years.

“We were expecting 300 people, but honestly I think we had more than that because our food ran out pretty quickly,” said LeDarrion Allen, the Black Heritage Events Coordinator for Multicultural Leadership Board, who teamed up with University Programming Board to put on the evening’s festivities.

“We all came together as a team and got this all set up pretty quickly, so I’m very happy with the turnout,” Allen said.

Other festivities of the night included the creation of an ice sculpture in the shape of old-school headphones, raffle prizes, and of course free food. However, not all students were impressed with the spread.

“They got Pizza Hut pizza when they could have chosen from all the amazing places Austin has to offer,” student Laura Fuller said.

“They put a limit on the slices, which isn’t very hip-hop to me,” Fernandez said. “Hip-hop is decadence, you know? It’s not one slice.”