“When I say Kid, y’all say…”
“CUDI!”
The call-and-response rose up from the sold-out crowd of more than 5,000 students Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena during A&O Productions’ Fall Blowout concert featuring hip-hop heavyweights Kid Cudi and Snoop Dogg.
“The crowd here really represents what happens when the NU community comes together,” Communication senior Jed Federsaid. “It’s electric.”
Blowout is one of several performances hosted by A&O each year. This year’s artists were selected by A&O’s concert committee, which chose the artists based on a student preference poll. The Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee also helped fund the event.
“For this show, we had a sizable budget, so we wanted two sizable names that would appeal to the whole campus,” said Allison Zuzelo, a Weinberg junior and director of concerts for A&O. “Snoop was around when we were all kids. Kid Cudi is a new name that’s rising right now. We thought it would be a great way to get everybody excited.”
This year, A&O teamed up with NU Stands with Pakistan by donating $1 of every ticket sold - $5,327 in total - to flood victims.
“We wanted to leverage those two huge names toward a good cause,” said Elsa Stahura, co-chair of promotion and public relations for A&O. “We really want to stand by what they’re doing.”
Chip tha Ripper opened the concert. He was featured on Cudi’s mixtape “A Kid Named Cudi” and his album “Man on the Moon: The End of Day.” After Chip’s performance, Cudi made his appearance, prompting a surge of cheers from the crowd.
Cudi opened his set with a preview of his new album “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager,” to be released Nov. 9. He then revisited some popular songs including “The Pursuit of Happiness,” “Up Up & Away” and “Man on the Moon.”
At one point, Cudi shared his feelings about both “Man on the Moon” albums.
“I don’t really talk much in interviews but I want to be direct with you right now,” Cudi said. “My first album was very vulnerable, and people took shots at me. This new album is saying (screw) all that … Y’all run and tell that.”
Later in the night, Snoop Dogg kept the crowd pumped up, performing alongside Cudi for “That Tree” and then moving on to his own set, which featured crowd-pleasers like “Gin and Juice,” “Sexual Eruption,” and “I Wanna Love You.”
The UBPC helped fund the event to start the year with a common undergraduate experience. Tickets were first made available to undergraduates, and a limited amount were later released for graduate students and staff.
“I’ve never been to a rap concert before,” Weinberg freshman Chris Gillespie said. “This has really opened my eyes.”
At Snoop’s request, audience members put their hands in the air and rocked out in a tribute to “peace, love and soul.” Though some students had been standing for five hours at this point, they seemed full of energy and enthusiasm for Snoop.
“Snoop Dogg is the godfather of hip-hop,” Weinberg sophomore Marcus Shrewsbury said. “I would sell my house for Snoop Dogg. The time I would spend with him is worth more than anything I own.”
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