Local pop-hopper Hoodie Allen returns to play the Liacouras Center

With the 2014 release of his debut full-length studio album People Keep Talking, University of Pennsylvania graduate Steven Markowitz - nom de rap, Hoodie Allen - fully realizes his dream of making pop-rap harder and sharper without losing its melodic sensibilities.

"Don't waste time trying to convince everyone of your purpose, just know and focus on bettering yourself," Markowitz said from New York. He plays the Liacouras Center on Saturday. "People Keep Talking took a minute to drop, considering the mix-tapes and EPs like All American [I did] before that. But I was really focused on the album being a complete story. I wanted it to have a purpose, an idea that summed up my mission statement as an artist as it is, really, my true introduction to the world. I also really wanted the singles to stand alone as well as feel a part of the album."

To some, Hoodie Allen is part of the family of white rappers, such as Mike Posner, Macklemore, G-Eazy, and Asher Roth who lean heavily on wordplay and a party vibe. In reality, Markowitz's braggadocio has an occasionally sharp edge.

"Show Me What You're Made Of" is catchy and chipper, "definitely inspired by Timberland and Timberlake musically - lyrically, it's a bit cocky," he said with a laugh. Deep album cuts such as "The Real Thing" and even "Numbers" - the latter with his pal/sensation Ed Sheeran ("He's my dude") - aren't so dear or daffy. There's a nasty, harsh reality to many of Hoodie's lyrics. Much of that derives from his influences: raw, street-smart lyricists such as Atmosphere, Nas, and Andre 3000.

"Nas is the quintessential NYC emcee to me," Markowitz said. "Illmatic was a huge life-changing project, the stories and the flow and the beats. It all made me obsessed with hip-hop. Andre 3000 - he's like a chameleon, pushes the boundaries of conventional hip-hop and R&B. Slug of Atmosphere? There's emotion there. An ability to tell these incredibly detailed and vivid stories showed me how explorative songwriting could be."

And let's not forget the influence of Philly and Penn, where he pledged Alpha Epsilon Pi, and played defensive back for the sprint football team. "I was always really drawn to Philly because I wanted to go to school in a big city, but not the one I grew up next to," said the native New Yorker. "Philly was perfect for me, and Penn was my dream school. I got to see a lot of live music at the Electric Factory while I was in school, so it's crazy that I've now played there twice myself."

Markowitz graduated in 2010 with a degree in marketing and finance. He laughs when he says, "I think there's some nontraditional value in my education. I've been able to apply my marketing classes to how I approach Hoodie as a brand and how I choose to interact with my fans, the Hoodie Mob, with whom I've become friends."

Speaking of friends, Markowitz's buds in the Philly band Chiddy Bang open the show at Liacouras Center this weekend. "They were at Drexel while I was down the block at Penn," he said. "I just remember they were getting huge and the music was great, while I was relatively unknown outside of campus. We ended up playing tons of college shows together once we both were out of school, so that's where it started. It's exciting to share this show with them now."