A packed house at Mansion, one of Miami’s premier nightclubs, eagerly awaited something to dance to.

Among the invited guests present at the party were industry big shots Fat Joe and DJ Camilo. On stage were three New York rap artists, about to take their first steps toward fame. It’s hard to believe that just two years ago these same three guys were starting their senior year at this university.

Alumni Mike David, Charles Perez and Robert Jenkins now go by the names MD tha Future, Frontpage and Knockout (KO) Jenkins, respectively. Together, they make up the hip-hop trio Black Phoenix.

High school friends MD and Frontpage got their start rapping and freestyling early, before hooking up with friend and Terp football player Jenkins in College Park. Business major and fan Sohail Itani signed on as manager to help the group get its start.

From there, Black Phoenix used connections ranging from Greek life to the varsity football team to establish a local fan base, playing its first show at Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

The group got its first exposure to the Washington scene at last year’s Greek Night at Fur nightclub, performing for more than 1,000 people. Since then, the group has based itself in New York City, from where all three members originally hail and got their big break.

The group stresses they still have love for the university and the Washington area, but maintain that New York is their true home.

“Our influence is from New York; we shout out D.C., shout out the South, but we are still New Yorkers,” says Jenkins, originally from the Bronx.

Frontpage is from Brooklyn, while MD calls Long Island home and points out: “There’s too much beef in N.Y. We’re from three different parts, and we’re trying to put it all together.”

Their 21-track CD sampler features songs covering a standard hardcore hip-hop repertoire: street anthems, club-friendly womanizing joints and reflective urban poetry. The lineup may seem all too familiar to hip-hop heads, but don’t let Black Phoenix hear that.

“We want to hit the streets and be the next group that everyone’s talking about,” quips Frontpage.

MD stresses the group’s independence, and says, “We don’t fit any other style; we’re going to do ‘us.'”

With raw lyrical ability and decent flows, Black Phoenix may still have some work to do before they turn heads on a national level. Still, the group has quite a few possible breakthroughs on the horizon.

The Source magazine has organized an online competition in which Black Phoenix has been put against two other hip-hop acts. The group that receives the most votes will be featured in an upcoming edition of the magazine.

The guys made their mixtape debut on a recent Shadyville Entertainment production and are busy traveling up and down the East Coast. Though they don’t know for sure when they’ll drop an album or do a show inside the Beltway, they promise a return to the area relatively soon.

Black Phoenix has already matured since its humble beginnings, enduring an unhealthy relationship with an independent label.

“We came in together, we did it ourselves and we gotta continue … we’re brothers,” says Frontpage, reflecting on the hard times the group faced a short while ago.

In the ultra-competitive New York hip-hop scene, the group is grateful not only for its grounded manager Itani, but also its supportive Maryland roots.

As for the party down in Miami, the group made quite a splash – enough to get played by DJ Camilo on New York’s Hot 97 radio station.

“We killed it, man … it was the best feeling in the world,” gushes Frontpage.

The guys added that their night ended with an invitation to an exclusive hotel after party. They may not be up there yet with Jim Henson and Juan Dixon, but a few more performances like that, and you never know.

Contact reporter Nikhil Joshi at joshidbk@gmail.com.