One of FAMU’s very own has been selected as a participant for BET’s “106th and Park” 2003-2004 season of Freestyle Fridays.
“Tre-Snatch,” born Trevon Williams, will be participating in a competition on BET’s most popular show.
Freestyle Fridays is a competition shown Fridays on “106th and Park” where two contestants are given 30 seconds to battle one another with impromptu freestyle raps. Judges then decide the winner and the winner returns to challenge another opponent the next Friday.
In October, the 22-year-old rapper stood for five hours with hundreds of hopefuls outside of BET’s Manhattan studios.
Many candidates were hungry for a chance to showcase their rhyming skills, but Williams made the final cut.
“I was really nervous and excited all at the same time. But when the doors opened I was ready,” the Miami native recalled. “We battled in groups of 10 and that eliminated a few. Then we battled again. For that second battle I was in overdrive.”
After the competition, participants were told that they would be contacted soon.
Within two weeks Tre-Snatch received a letter of acceptance. Out of 600 contenders, he was among the ranks of the 35 winners.
“I was very excited because it feels like all my hard work is finally paying off. I was good to go,” he said.
However, this is not the first competitive victory.
The junior psychology student was the first place winner in Tau Beta Sigma’s 2003 Spring Talent Show.
“His freestyle was very creative and original. He had a tremendous crowd response, which led to a standing ovation” said LaRhonda Bryant, 22, a biology student from South Field, Mich., who saw him rap at her sorority’s talent show.
“It is really hard to measure his potential; it is beyond my imagination,” said Cedric Floyd, 23 of Miami. Floyd and Tre-Snatch used to freestyle together during lunch time in high school. “When he is rapping, he is in another universe. Dude is unsigned hype,” Floyd said.
Martin Brown, producer and owner of Polo Black Productions named Tre-Snatch as his first artist.
“Tre-Snatch is hardworking, persistent and lyrically gifted. Studio sessions with him are very productive,” Brown said.
The young rapper who usually greets people with a laid back “What they do?” felt that hip-hop is contaminated with thoughts of materialism, and that the art needs to get back to its roots of expressing the events going on in the lives of the hip hop culture.
Williams plans to use his skills to be a conscientious rapper and express thoughts of politics, struggle, and urban living. His motto is “Life is mine for the taking.”