By Chris Brook

Scores of music lovers descended on the Freshman Quad Monday for a concert hosted by campus radio station WRBB 104.9 FM. The Block Party, as deemed by the station, was sponsored by the Council for University Programs (CUP) and put the spotlight on local and diverse rising talent: indie rockers Major Stars, ’80s revivalists Freezepop, Providence’s Sasquatch and the Sick-a-Billys, and local MCs Edan and Insight.

“I think [the concert is] pretty cool and a good way to meet people,” said freshman English major Peter Franklin. “It’s always good to meet people through music, and there’s such a diverse lineup here.”

Edan Portnoy, an underground hip-hop phenom in Boston ever since he dropped out of Berklee nearly a decade ago to pursue his love of old-school rap, headlined the show, which lasted from 6 to 10 p.m. Despite periodically leaving the stage to flip the records on his turntables, Edan, alongside fellow Bostonian rapper Insight, had commanding stage presence throughout their 45-minute set. The duo, who perform together under the moniker Duplexx, traded lyrics at breakneck speed and performed several cuts from their latest albums Beauty and the Beat (Lewis Recordings) and The Blast Radius (Brick Records), respectively.

Songs like “Rap Beautician,” off Edan’s 2002 seven-inch single and Insight’s “Unexplained Phenomenon” record, left audience members wide-eyed and grinning (regardless of their knowledge of hip-hop). During “Rock and Roll,” the chemistry of the lyricists was unrivaled. While Edan rapped fluidly about the Talking Heads, Blue Oyster Cult, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles and other classic rock bands, Insight dropped the actual record covers of the respective artists to the ground,