Earlier this month, the Student Association announced the acts for one of the few events our student body shows any interest in: Fall Fest. The show will feature N.Y.-based rapper French Montana and be headlined by Roc Nation artist J. Cole and the up-and-coming Childish Gambino.
When news of the lineup first broke, my immediate response was positive. I've been in love with rap and hip-hop since age nine, and any chance I get to see artists I love performlive is appreciated. Unfortunately, a lot of my peers didn't feel the same.
If you turn to the soapbox that is the Fall Fest Facebook event page, you'll see how many people are upset and why. They feel cheated.
In the past two years, SA has brought a total of 13 rap/hip-hop related acts to UB and 10 outside the genre. Of those 10, this includes Fall Fest 2011,which featured The Fray, 2AM Club and White Panda, and didn't have the best turnout. The last memory of a "balanced" lineup was Fall Fest 2010, which showcased Jason Mraz and Bruno Mars alongside Atlanta rapper B.o.B.
The shameful Fall Fest 2011 lineup was sandwiched between Spring Fest 2011 that included rappers Wiz Khalifa and Big Sean, and Spring Fest 2012 with Rick Ross and Fabolous.
Last semester's Spring Fest had Alumni Arena turned into an absolute zoo, but I can't help but feel bad for those students who will be spending the night of Sept. 1 at home for the second year in a row because we don't share the same musical taste.
To make things worse, the three headliners for this year's Fall Fest haven't yet reached their mainstream peak, which makes it hard for non-hip-hop fans to warm up to them.
J. Cole, Childish Gambino and French Montana are all recognized well within the community, but still haven't broken through into pop stations, which doesn't even put them on a lot of people's radars. In the eyes of a lot of students, this lineup still disappoints many who protested last year's Fall Fest online.
My love of music comes before my love of hip-hop. Music is easily connected to pivotal moments in life, feelings, memories and people and that's why people are so passionate about it. The same way I feel when I listen to Mos Def, Big L and Dom Kennedy, others feel about Mumford & Sons, Kenny Chesney and fun.
I've been a fan of J. Cole since his days of obscurity and even attended some shows back then, and getting the opportunity to see how his performance and music has grown since is something any real hip-hop fan enjoys.
He's also easy on the eyes, sans unibrow.
Childish Gambino I know more from his acting exploits on NBC's Community, but his latest mixtape ROYALTY shows a lot of lyrical talent and his general attitude is one I'd love to see in front of a stage of college students.
French Montana is more of an act geared towards the general Buffalo hip-hop community, and with "Pop That" backing every twerk video on YouTube, I don't see his buzz ending any time soon.
And although I'll be covering Fall Fest for The Spectrum with fellow fans, I know the thought of those students who were shunned a second semester in a row will cross my mind. Rap acts don't find their way to Buffalo on many occasions outside school sanctioned events, but I think I'd prefer to not attend Spring Fest 2013 than see this happen again.
Email: elva.aguilar@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
