(December 20, 2011) -- The new year always signifies new beginnings and introductions, and with RTC members seniors Chris Rodriguez and Eric Gonzalez, this time of the year proves no different. These two seniors are awaiting New Year’s Eve to finally present their first produced album, Them Dudes Mixtape, to their growing fan base.

“This album that we're going to be putting out is a push toward recognition, putting ourselves to work, for both me and Chris, putting out a bunch of songs we haven’t released yet,” said Gonzalez. The duo decided to take a step back from the original RTC rap group that consisted of senior Marvin Alvarado (who had brought together this “family” since their sophomore year) and former Clark student Nick Gomez. The goal was to rap to things they hoped wouldn’t be too mainstream without being completely underground in their own eleven-track album.

These rappers clarified that the album is not in fact a “Christmas-themed” one as suggested by the release date, but done as a reflection on the year and a wrap-up of their work. They hope to illuminate a new perspective on rap with a meaning based on self-reflection and experiences rather than the overplayed dance tunes heard on the radio.

“I want to keep my music real enough so that it’s a reflection of me,” Gonzalez said, “but at the same time good enough so that people would want to listen to it over and over again and relate to.” One of their featured tracks, “Walk Through Fire,” elaborates on their struggle to become rappers, while their track titled “One” explains how Rodriguez and Gonzalez first met.

According to Rodriguez, meeting the deadline adds a lot of pressure to the two since things tend to get out of hand, and recording sessions are usually cut short. “Finding beats that work is a hassle,” he said, ”but finding a quiet place to record without extra noise in the background is even harder.”

As many students may remember, the infamous “Clark Diss” garnered negative feedback from the school staff and was a setback to RTC’s progress. However, Rodriguez said that the consequences were a turning point and a “growth process” in their motivation. Instead of aiming to make their tracks as a joke, they began to take their work — and words — seriously. It was what the boys believed to be their wake-up call, and they are now ready to place their ideas, inspirations and tracks in several hands by next year in their first attempt to get their name out.