On Saturday night in the University Center Ballroom, an eventful night was in store for UMBC students and the public who were there to see Bohemia, an American-Punjabi rapper, as well as performances by other groups. Hosted by the Pakistani Student Association, or PakSA, the "Bohemia" concert brought up the level of energy within this room as the night went on. These talented performances included-in order of appearance-the Taal Capella group, the Jalwa dance team, Ko the Timeless, the local band Umeed, and lastly, Bohemia himself.

First and foremost, if you haven't heard of any of these musical or dance performers, it is because they are fairly new and fresh. The night essentially anticipated Bohemia-he is already a well-known artist, recognized for combining his rap stylings with the Punjabi language. The modern age has revolutionized the way people coming from different backgrounds and cultures can combine musical influences into a unique and artistic form, making it unnecessary to follow a centralized form of music. Through the use of his original poetry, he has been able to bring about a unique musical style. It is quite intriguing to see the transformation of music from traditional to more modern choices, which reach out to more than one cultural group.

Starting off the performance the vocal group Taal Capella provided some ease to our ears. Including harmonious vocals was a great way to start off the show. Following this performance, the dance team Jalwa presented their talent in a five-minute synchronized dance form.

After this, Ko the Timeless, a hip-hop artist, performed with eastern and international influences. Once these three performances were finished, there was an approximate thirty minute interval which gave some time for the audience to get some refreshments and get ready for the second part of the show. The audience was anticipating more performances to come.

After waiting for quite some time, the band Umeed came in with mesmerizing vocals and superb guitar and drum playing. After three songs of the jiving performance, the audience was ready for encores. The songs were performed including Pakistani influences, which was a crowd pleaser. The singer of the band interacted well with the audience and presented great vocals, which in turn brought up the level of excitement. Umeed was one of the highlights of the night, so check them out for more events to come!

Finally, it came time for Bohemia to show what he was made of, especially for all of those that have never heard of him before. He came out with an astounding performance of his English-Punjabi incorporated songs which mainly dealt with events or things relating to his personal life. It was a refreshingly new type of musical style which was very catchy and entertaining. An audience member, Nisha Sinha reflected after the show, "he had different languages incorporated into one" and, "he was really encouraging about staying in school," something that during his performance was well-noted; he explained that education is an important part of life which everyone should be a part of, and promoted it. Sinha added that she "never heard of [Bohemia] before, and that [she] actually liked it." So, if you haven't heard of him before, listen for yourself and see how his musical approach reflects who he is, and in turn it may give you insight on how our musical era has emerged.

The Bohemia event was a wonderful portrayl of innovative musical technologies, and Saturday night's turnout was a reflection of the campus' appreciation of Bohemia's integration of cultural styles.