IUPUI alumnus sets rap record

Some rap for money, attractive mates or street credibility.

Others lend rhymes to benefit more charitable causes.

On Dec. 19, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis alumnus Matthew Markoff, better known on hip-hop billboards as rapper M-Eighty, raised more than $10,000 to build a new educational facility for underprivileged students in Bodo, Nigeria.

He said his fundraising goals were simple, though ambitious: help others while attaining worldwide recognition and respect.

After nine hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds of rhyming over bass-heavy beats, the Indianapolis native broke the Guinness World Record for longest freestyle rap, previously set at eight hours, 45 minutes by Canadian emcee D.O. in 2003.

“I almost choked in the first hour, literally,” Markoff said, laughing. “I was using a spray water bottle to refresh my throat, and at one point, the water went down the wrong pipe. But I wouldn’t allow myself to stop.”

Friends and fans visited IUPUI’s Campus Center throughout the day, showing support for M-Eighty’s continuous, lyrical flow and donating money to the Timmy Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides resources to sustainable health projects in developing countries.
Indianapolis DJ Rusty Redenbacher, Markoff’s close friend and hip-hop colleague, produced, mixed and played music throughout the event using what he estimated was more than 400 songs.

“It’s a real testament to dedication, what he accomplished,” Redenbacher said. “When he came to me for music, I was like, ‘Bro, you’ve got to be kidding me. Nobody would do this.’”

As Redenbacher mixed beats and changed the musical tempo with each passing hour, Markoff rapped about whatever came to mind, drawing inspiration from his surroundings.

A dry erase board, inspired by the prop tactics of freestyle rapper Supernatural, served as a forum for audience members to scrawl ideas.

“That way, if someone wrote ‘rap about my hat,’ I’d have something to work with,” Markoff said.

Among the crowd was IUPUI professor Scott Pegg, who led the African politics senior seminar class that Markoff took in 2003. He told his students about aiding communities in Nigeria, which left a lasting impact on the rapper.

Markoff contacted Pegg in the summer of 2009 to inquire about raising money to help build a new middle school.

“It was very gratifying to know he remembered me and the service work we discussed in class,” Pegg said. “It was a pleasant surprise, something I wasn’t anticipating.”

Now, a little less than $20,000 remains to be raised to complete Markoff and Pegg’s mission.

Markoff, who has been actively freestyle rapping since age 13, said he’s still waiting for donations from IUPUI alumni and Eli Lilly and Company, but plans to perform and inspire until the new school can be fully financed.

And with a new, double-disc album “Speak of the Angel” to be released in February and a nationwide tour scheduled to begin this month, Markoff said he’ll have plenty of chances to do so.

“One reason I love rapping is a certain feeling when you know people appreciate you, are inspired by you, are influenced by you,” he said.