Rap, rhyme, comedy and creativity were the order of the evening Wednesday as genres mixed and performers mingled in the final Open Mic Night of the year, sponsored by the University Board.

The event served as a forum for self-expression for the students up on stage, as well as a moment of relief for students in the audience preparing for finals in the coming week.

The night started off with a University Board winner of last semester’s “So You Think You Can Rap” competition, Jeff the MC.

Onstage, Jeff the MC began sharing a new-found personal philosophy involving greatness through the concept of infinity, which he calls “G R Infinity,” by which anything may be accomplished and even working the idea into his song “I Be Stylin’.”

“G R Infinity, thought I’d let you know your girlfriend is into me,” he rapped. “I’m just a rapper looking to tap her while she is into me.”

Lacretia Brazzleton followed the fast-paced rap with a soulful rendition of the Jill Scott song “Hear My Call,” a song appealing to a higher power from a singer in a time of need.

“God, please hear my call, I am afraid,” Brazzleton sang. “I am just a child to your vision, standing here in the cold and the rain.”

Vocal duo Kadija Stallings and Destiny Winford took the stage next, forgoing any musical accompaniment and instead providing their own bass lines through hums and clicks mixed with melodic harmonies in an a cappella review of several songs, including the Queen of Funk Chaka Khan’s “Keep Your Head Up.”

“When your heart is free it is easy to make a decision. When your head is cleared you know you have good judgment,” the duo sang. “Keep your head up and walk away from the hurtin’.”

Ericka Duncan, a junior health studies major, interjected a moment of comedy in the evening when she won a t-shirt from the University Board by correctly answering Sam Worthington as the lead actor in the 2009 film “Avatar.”

Duncan approached the stage with her smart phone in hand and unapologetically admitted she used Google to find the actor.

“I’m saying we don’t pay these $80 phone bills for nothing,” Duncan said.

Jasmine Sullivan took to the stage following the Hollywood trivia and sang the Karina Pasian song “Slow Motion,” a romantic ballad about trust and companionship, despite a series of technical difficulties with her microphone.

Sullivan eventually faced off against Stallings for first place out of all the performers of the evening, with both performers intending to sing “The Truth” by Indie Arie.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to sing,” Stallings said. “They (the audience) judged us both, but the ended up going with a coin flip.”

Stallings said she plans on following up her Open Mic Night victory when she returns to Eastern after a summer of internships, with an eye towards returning to the stage.

Stallings said, “When I get back in the fall, I’m going to bring it.”

Andrew Crivilare can be reached at 581-2812 or at ajcrivilare@eiu.edu.