Local hip hop is alive and well.

Legend Haz It is a hip hop/jazz band that started about a year and a half ago with most of its members being apart of the NIU community. The band got their notoriety at last year’s Huskie Bash, and won a contest to open for T-Pain last October at the Convocation Center. Since then the band has done other gigs outside of DeKalb.

“We are working with promoters in Chicago to play more gigs there,” said senior jazz studies major Dan Pratt, drummer for the band.

Legend Haz It’s music focuses on shedding light on the positive things happening in the world and to steer away from the negative messages that other music brings to the younger crowd.

“We are all about the music and the message,” Pratt said.

Senior communications major Keith “Legend Mane” Winford, the emcee, along with Pratt first came up with the idea to start a band their sophomore year. It seemed that they weren’t getting their musical needs fulfilled so they gathered up their fellow jazz major and friends senior jazz studies major Ron Jacoby (trombone), NIU graduate Ryan Nyther (trumpet), Columbia College graduate Tim Ipson (bass guitar), senior jazz studies major Joel Ream (guitar), and junior jazz studies major Collin Clauson (keyboard).

The band has been working to promote their name in the NIU/DeKalb community as well as outside of DeKalb.

“We are kind of spreading the word right now and just doing our best,” Pratt said.

The band is now working on a Halloween show planned for Oct. 27 at the House Cafe, 263 E. Lincoln Highway.

They hope the turn out will be even better than last year’s with hopes for another costume contest.