Vibes and hip-hop for Spring Fest

After a short period of speculation, the Student Association has confirmed two headliners for Spring Fest 2013.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar and electro-house musician/DJ Steve Aoki will perform at the annual event on April 14 at Baird Point as part of the Karmaloop presents Campus Verge tour.
Aoki was a highly requested act for this year's concert and the coincidence that he would be touring along with Lamar was beneficial, according to Cory Riskin, talent coordinator for SA.
The usual Spring Fest talent budget ranges from $150,000-$200,000, according to SA Entertainment Coordinator Marc Rosenblitt, and because Aoki and Lamar are touring together, SA remains well below its talent budget and plans to use the remaining money to book supporting artists.
Despite rumors that post-R&B group Bad Rabbits and alternative rock band 5 & A Dime would be joining Lamar and Aoki, the supporting acts for Spring Fest have not been announced.
Spring Fest 2012, which featured rappers Rick Ross, Fabolous, New Boyz and Tyga, attracted an audience of approximately 5,000 - almost the maximum capacity for Alumni Arena. Last semester's Fall Fest brought 7,100 people to Baird Point for rappers French Montana, Childish Gambino and J. Cole, according to SA Communication Director Ned Semoff.
Despite the influx of rap acts in the past two fests, the student reaction to the partial lineup has been positive.
Rosenblitt believes the balance in music genres between Lamar, Aoki and Bob Dylan within the three-week period at UB will keep the community content.
"Normally we get negative feedback by somebody at some point by now and I have yet to get one email saying, 'Hey, we're not happy about this,'" Rosenblitt said. "I think we're finally making as many people happy as we possibly can at once."
Junior nursing major Clayrys Tavarez is one of many students excited for Lamar and believes students put off by the lineup should attend for the positive atmosphere and festivities.
"[Kendrick Lamar] was who my friends and I listened to last semester when his album came out, so the fact that we get to see him [perform] these songs live when they're still premature is great," Tavarez said.
And while it seems the majority of students seem to be content with the rapper/house headliners, some still feel SA is ignoring a large portion of its student base.
"There has been a lot of rap and hip-hop in my opinion. There [have] been no good rock acts, [or] high energy that everyone can get into," said Joe Carelli, a senior communication major. "The Fray is a downer; I get why people would like them. Bob Dylan's a legend, so [it's] understandable people would be excited, but again, it would be nice to have high energy for Spring Fest from a rock act."
Kendrick Lamar, most recently voted as MTV's Hottest MC in the Game, is still considered somewhat of a new comer to the hip-hop and rap community. The Compton, Calif., native began gaining popularity after his mixtape, Overly Dedicated, dropped in 2010, but it wasn't until his first independent album, Section.80, was released that Lamar's following multiplied.
The buzz surrounding Section.80, along with Lamar's ability to combine a mainstream sound with deep lyricism, helped Lamar's first major label release, good kid, m.A.A.d. City, become a classic. The album has found radio hits in tracks "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and "B***h Don't Kill My Vibe."
Steve Aoki is a renowned DJ and electro-house musician who has worked with the likes of Kid Cudi, Travis Barker, The Bloody Beetroots and Afrojack during his career. He has remixed tracks from artists like Drake, Jackson 5, Kanye West, Chester French and All American Rejects.
His house music is internationally popular in clubs and his live performances are notorious for their high-energy and raucous antics. Aoki has even gone as far as crowd surfing on a raft with fellow DJ and dubstep artist Skrillex.
Between Lamar's rap following and Aoki's stage presence, UB is locked for a potentially legendary Spring Fest.
Doors will open at Baird Point at 5 p.m. and the show will begin at 6 p.m. Entry for UB undergrads will be free and tickets will soon be available for general admission.
The Spectrum will continue to follow up on Spring Fest developments, including which artists will be chosen as the supporting acts for the show on April 14.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com