For hip-hop lovers, Wednesday night might go down as one of the
more memorable times of their college days: a free show featuring
Talib Kweli, considered by many an icon of the culture.
The event, hosted by the African Student Union, Campus Events
Commission and Cultural Affairs Commission, was held in Ackerman
Grand Ballroom and was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The
ticketholder line began forming over an hour earlier.
Kweli’s entrance onto the stage was preceded by
performances by J-Live and MF Doom. The night’s musicians
rapped about everything from the Lakers to problems with the
government and corruption in the police force.
For those who have a deep involvement with hip-hop culture,
Kweli in particular is a legend.
Wais Nezami, a fourth-year psychobiology student, said Kweli
stands out from other artists because he conveys meaningful
messages through his music.
“He’s conscious about social issues. … He’s
not commercial, he’s not all about the hype,” he
said.
Nezami and his friends were waiting in the stand-by line that
stretched along one of Ackerman’s outside walls. They were
first in line and had been waiting since 4:45 p.m. in hopes of
getting tickets.
Organizers said they released 1,500 tickets for the free event,
all of which were gone within one day.
Nezami and all six friends he was with secured tickets, and once
inside, moved their way to the center of the crowd, which was
packed densely at the foot of the stage.
There was a long wait for Kweli to come on stage ““Â so
long that some students sat down on the ground and talked about
doing homework.
But the crowd surged as Kweli emerged from behind the curtains,
as hundreds of hands shot in the air. He performed songs from his
old albums, as well as some from his upcoming release, “The
Beautiful Struggle.”
As an added treat, he invited breakdancers to take the stage and
dance, and about 10 students took up the offer to show their skills
to their peers.
Kweli’s first two releases are largely considered
phenomenal by fans and music critics. Kweli’s first album,
“Black Star,” was done with Mos Def in 1998, and in
2000, he collaborated with DJ Hi-Tek on “Reflection
Eternal.” His solo debut “Quality” came out in
2002.
Born in London and raised in New York, MF Doom has been on the
hip-hop scene for over a decade and a half. He collaborated with DJ
Madlib on their latest release this year,
“Madvillainy.” He wore his characteristic mask ““
silver ““ during Wednesday’s show.
Daniel Lopez, one of the event’s student promoters, said
campus organizers contacted the performers’ agent with a
proposal to have the artists come perform.
He said the planning process was only a few weeks old, but that
it was “non-stop” work for organizers during that
period of time.
“The atmosphere is very exciting. We have people calling
up all the time asking for tickets,” Lopez said of the
feeling in the Campus Events office shortly before the show.