The Undergraduate Student Government for 2018-2019 ended the year with the event “Great Artists Steal.”

USG’s final event of the year showcased the artistic talent of Baruch students and brought together various artists from across the school for stellar performances. 

The event called for bringing “an open mind and your truth.”

The evening was filled with recitations of poetry, dance, song and rap performances.

Most of the performances were original, written and composed by the students themselves.

The event was divided in two parts with an intermission for dinner and took place in the Multipurpose Room on May 9.

The event’s theme, as the title expresses, was “good artists borrow, great artists steal” to show that originality isn’t a certainty or even a requirement when creating art.

The idea is that all art is inspired from already existing art and that’s what makes it great.

The event began with a short rap performed by Joshua Castillo, the host of the event and USG’s Chair of Arts setting the stage for the performances to come.

The following performer was Alina Ng, a freshmen and member of UCLA, who took the stage and delivered a series of high-energy dance performances of various K-pop songs.

The night took an exciting turn when freshman Andres Aguirre took the stage and floored the audience with his singing.

Aguirre performed a song titled “Call me 2nite,” an original composed and written by himself.

When asked what inspires him, Aguirre shared, “R&B 90’s music has definitely served as an inspiration. I also love and am incredibly inspired by Frank Ocean. I feel the pain in his songs,” he said. 

“I can’t match that, but I want to help others with my music. With music, I want to convey that no matter how messed up life may be, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.” 

After Aguirre, Rafeed Hossain took the stage and performed a series of heart-felt raps that
had the audience grooving to the beat. 

His inspiration, he said: “Certainly the artists I listen to regularly. I am a big fan of Kendrick Lamar, Khalid, J Cole.”

Hossain started making music at the age of 14, but didn’t start rapping until he was 17.

After a brief intermission for dinner, the second half of the evening began with a powerful poem rendered by Jean Sebastian Surena.

Surena, a graduating senior, described his struggle and journey as an African-American male in America.

His piece ended on a victorious note with Surena overcoming his and embracing his identity with pride, leaving the audience amazed and inspired.

Brandon Prenz, who attended the event as an audience member, concurred.

“This night has been exhilarating. All pieces were ingenious and I definitely feel inspired,” he said.

The event ended with Anupama Chanti performing prose about her mother.

Dedicated to her mother’s unconditional love and care, it was a fitting way piece to end the night, especially as Mother’s Day was just around the corner.