Baggin(z) an Opening Act

It's been a long road, but it seems that Bagginz is about to make his dreams a reality.

Trevor Eckman, a senior communication major, has been struggling for years to gain credibility as a legitimate rapper. The Student Association recognized his talent and decided to pen him in as the opening act for the upcoming SA Small Concert, which is headlined by hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang.

Years ago, Eckman posteda status saying that he dreamt of playing in front of 18,000 UB students. He was laughed at – a Caucasian male rapper from Rochester is unheard of.

Bagginz has silenced his critics, as his upcoming performance at the SA Small Concert is sure to attract UB Students.

"It feels amazing," Eckman said. "It's a dream come true. The best chance that I have [to make it as an artist] is if I could get the whole campus to rally around me, because since UB is such a big campus, [my name] will spread."

His concert appearance follows a string of big opening performances. Last March, he opened for rapper Mac Miller at Club Infinity. Then in December, he opened for popular artist Lupe Fiasco at a concert at SUNY Brockport. Bagginz believes the performance with Fiasco put him in higher consideration to be an opening act.

Eckman thought highly of both artists, and was happy about the fact that he had a chance to share the stage with them.

"It's just so fun and surreal," Eckman said. "It's really cool because these are the people that before I started taking rap seriously, used to hang up on my wall. These are my role models…Just hanging out with them as a peer now backstage is one of the coolest feelings ever."

Bagginz's upcoming performance isn't the first one he had for UB. Eckman rapped at the UB Homecoming Carnival two years ago in the University Bookstore lot.

Eckman was grateful for having a chance to perform, but he was even more appreciative of the crowd he attracted atthe concert.

"I didn't know what to expect, but a lot of people came out and showed love," Eckman said. "It was cool because at that time I didn't know I had such a big fan base."

Two years later, Bagginz is still looking to increase his fan base. He believes that he has the potential to become the next Mac Miller. The comparisons between the two aren't farfetched – both are Caucasian rappers and have garnered acclaim with their independent releases.

Bagginz's most recent mixtape, It's Only A Matter of Time, currently has1,523 streams and 554 downloads on the popular mixtape site, Datpiff.com. Although the numbers are modest, the comments on the site show only positive responses.

Bagginz is mainly concerned about getting more support and further increasing his reputation. He reasons that if he could get the large student body to rally around him, he can get a better shot at being UB's own Mac Miller and break into the mainstream.

"This definitely improves my credibility," Eckman said. "A goal of mine is to go on tour with a bigger artist [in the summer]. For me to prove that I can perform at an arena in front of thousands of people not only improves my credibility, but gives me bigger chances in the future."

SA president JoAnna Datz said that Bagginz has reached out to the SA multiple times for a chance to perform at one of its concerts. The SA gave him his shot after his recent success.

"We have already had a positive response from students [about the Homecoming Concert]," Datz said. "We hope that students will continue to respond well to Bagginz at the SA Small Concert ft. Chiddy Bang, not just because of his artistic talent, but also because he is a UB student. It is exciting to have one of our own to perform on our campus in such a large venue."

The SA Small Concert will be held on Feb. 4 in Alumni Arena, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Bagginz's next release will be titled God Bless the Internet. Its release date has yet to be announced.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com