Two Chicago artists came out Thursday night to perform and give Eastern a glimpse of their artistic abilities and inspiration.

The first to perform, Ausar, started out with a spoken word piece titled “Brief Introduction.”

“Picked up the pen and pad and figured he was on to something,” Ausar recited.

The crowd joined in, singing, “searching for the truth, searching for the truth, searching for the truth every time I hit the booth.”

Ausar then went on to perform “6Degrees,” “Learning a Lot,” “Resolve” and “Keep On Pushin,” which can all be found on his newest mix tape, “The 6 Page Letter.” He said he would consider it his biggest project to date.

“I’ve been writing since I was in third grade,” Ausar said. “It’s my passion.”

He said he got the inspiration to write “The 6 Page Letter” when he was going through a rough time in his life.

“I was dealing with a lot. Not being able to go to school at the time, family issues, everything,” Ausar said. “My friend wrote me a six-page letter telling me everything would be okay. It really made me realize I couldn’t give up.”

Ausar said the concept of his album is faith over fear.

“I’m really happy with tonight’s turnout,” he said. “It’s awesome that people come out to show support and we’re able to cultivate our talent and make something out of it.”

The second Chicago artist to perform was Femdot.

He said he has been writing since he was six years old and started performing seriously about three years ago.

Although Femdot is currently studying biology at DePaul University, he said he wants to continue his career as an artist.

“It’s what I actively do now, it’s pretty much how I make my living and survive,” he said.

Femdot said being in Chicago makes it easier to network and connect with people to get his music out there.

“I perform at open mic nights and any other opportunity I get to perform, like tonight, which helps a lot,” he said.

He said he gets most of his inspiration from his own life and the lives of others around him.

Apart from that, Femdot said he gets inspiration from his favorite artist, Kendrick Lamar.

“I study what he does so I can do it better,” he said.

Femdot said overall, he was happy with the performance at Eastern.

“The crowd was interactive and engaging, which I appreciate as an artist because it makes me feel more comfortable,” he said.

Cydne Garrett, the University Board Mainstage Coordinator, said the show had a very decent turn out even though one of the artists, Christian Jalon, couldn’t make it.

“Their art is amazing to me. I can personally connect with it, especially because I’m from Chicago,” Garrett said.

Garrett went to high school with Femdot and connected with Ausar’s manager at a recent open mic night.

“I met his manager at an open mic night in Chicago, and I found out he goes to U of I,” she said. “I started listening to more of his music, even his older stuff, and I really enjoyed it.”

Garrett said it has been incredible to see these artists grow over time.

“To see people my age doing big things is really cool,” she said.

Deja Dade, a junior theatre arts major, said she thought the performance went really well.

“I listen to their music a lot,” she said. “They are some dope individuals.”

Despite the smaller crowd, Dade said they performed like there was a full house.

“More people need to come to these events. We need to get the word out there,” Dade said.

Loren Dickson can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].