TC a hidden hip hop talent behind ACDC’s grill station

ACDC and hip hop do not mix. That is, of course, if you're talking about the band. But if you've ever had a cheeseburger at Vassar's All Campus Dining Center (ACDC), you know that the grill is ACDC's hip hop central.

Behind the grill, Darrin Lawrence Weaver—known as TC—puts on a show, flipping burgers while dancing to music playing from his cell phone. He engages passersby immediately, with a simple "What's up?" to those he knows, or a snappy—yet good-natured—remark to those who mess up their order.

"Somewhere in the middle" of 11 children, Weaver was only close to one of his younger brothers. He was carted around the East Coast as a small boy—living in Long Island (Meadowbrook, Freeport and Roosevelt), Brooklyn (Flatbush and Bedford-Stuyvesant), the Bronx, Manhattan, Philadelphia and New Jersey (Lawrence Township and Newark). "I bounced around a lot, man," recalls Weaver. "It was an unwanted children type of thing—whoever could take care of me. Always the 'hood. If it wasn't the 'hood, it was just on the outside of the 'hood, like you just put your foot down, and you're in the 'hood." At age 11, he moved to Poughkeepsie with his mother to get out of a city environment, and graduated middle school and high school here. He has remained in Poughkeepsie ever since.

As entertaining as Weaver's moves at the grill are, he's seen bigger stages. He has been dancing for as long as he can remember. "I was kinda born into it. Hip hop culture, back in the day, you lived it. There are four elements: b-boying, MCing, DJing and graffiti—and you embodied all four of those elements growing up. It was in you. It was something you just learned how to do. That's what made you cool, back in the day."

Weaver was doing it throughout the '80s and '90s. In the 1980s, he was involved with several break dancing crews, including GF2 (Graffiti Force 2000), Battlezone and Upstate Breakers. While part of the Upstate Breakers, Weaver danced and did graffiti with one of the Trackmasters, the famous duo that produced a significant portion of the hip hop radio hits of the '90s. Weaver was also a sponsored BMX racer and a backup singer and choreographer of an R&B group. In the mid '80s he changed gears after meeting an MTV intern who encouraged him to audition for shows. From 1990 to 1997, Weaver danced on various MTV and VH1 programs, including the well-known "Club MTV" and "The Grind."

Despite his credentials and his love for dancing, Weaver never wanted to be a professional dancer. "Most of my friends that were doing MTV with me are dancing for Janet Jackson, Mariah [Carey] and whoever else. The thing is, that shit is not stable. You're only hot as long as the artist is hot. When the artist goes into remission or whatever, you gotta scramble to find another hustle. I can't live like that. I need something stable."

Weaver looked for a job at Vassar 16 years ago, when his brother was part of the kitchen staff. As he was on campus nearly every day, Weaver was finally offered a position at ACDC, and he has remained there ever since.

He most enjoys interacting with the students. "They're generally cool people," said Weaver. "I can't tell you how many people who I've hung out with have graduated. They just come back, and it's like they've never left. And then there are all those people who go on to do great things that come back and see you, like Justin Long, Anne Hathaway—she's my homegirl—Marguerite Moreau, who did all the Mighty Ducks movies—it's just a great place to be."

Even when Weaver's not working, he's working. He does freelance graphic design for well-known clothing companies such as Fubu, Mecca, Scifen and 10.Deep. In 2003, Weaver flew to Las Vegas to work with Jackie Chan, as he and coworker Percy Latchman (10.29.09 "ACDC grill master Latchman reflects on path to Vassar") had designed more than half of Chan's clothing line and nearly all of the artwork for a show there. Weaver also co-founded Hip Hop 101 at Vassar, a club that promotes community engagement through events that incorporate the four elements of hip hop. He designs all of the club's graphics and teaches break-dancing in the Villard Room on Monday and Wednesday nights.

As to what "TC" stands for, all he can say is, "I have no clue." My guess? Too Cool.