Kent Harris understands what booking an artist entails.
As the president of the Black Student Cultural Programming Board during the 2014-2015 academic year, she brought Waka Flocka Flame to Ohio University for a performance at the Sibs Weekend concert.
“That was kind of the biggest concert (BSCPB) had had up until that point,” she said. “Coming from someone who had never (booked an artist) before, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, but it did take a lot of time and coordination with management.”
Waka Flocka Flame may have performed during Sibs Weekend two years ago, but this year’s concert will not take place.
Migos, a hip-hop trio, was slated to get “Bad and Boujee” at the annual Sibs Weekend concert hosted by BSCPB, but the music group canceled its appearance. The group also canceled four other shows in different venues around the nation, according to Ticketmaster.
“They had booked themselves to appear at another event on the same night,” Jeffrey Billingslea, the president of BSCPB, said. “We were initially taken aback, and we wanted to work with them to figure out the best option, but we were unable to do so in a timely manner.”
BSCPB is working with the university to refund those who bought tickets, according to a press release from the organization.
BSCPB started the selection process — polling students for entertainment options — for the Sibs Weekend concert almost immediately after T-Pain’s visit in 2016. The organization continued planning the event at the beginning of Fall Semester, which is when it decided to book Migos, Billingslea said.
Since the artist announcement, Billingslea said BSCPB put a lot of manpower into promoting the concert. Billingslea called the cancellation a “learning experience” that would help the group plan next year’s concert and make it a success. In previous years, BSCPB has chosen not to hold the concert, but this is the first time the concert has been completely canceled due to an act dropping out, he added.
“We were devastated,” he said. “We were really super excited (for the concert) because, since I’ve been here, students wanted Migos.”
At this point in the semester, Andrew Holzaepfel, the senior associate director of student activities, does not think the Campus Involvement Center will book a hip-hop artist. The CIC tends to steer away from booking performers in that genre of music because of the Sibs Weekend concert and Number Fest, which takes place in April, he added.
“That’s so disappointing for BSCPB to have that happen. I know that was going to be a huge success for them,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s kind of a part of the business. We’ve been pretty fortunate over the last few years here at OU to not have those type of things happen, but they do happen.”
Migos recently hit the top of the charts with “Bad and Boujee” on Jan. 21, according to Billboard. The music website attributed some of the group’s success to its growing internet presence. During the Golden Globes on Jan. 8, the group received a shout out from Atlanta creator Donald Glover, who thanked Migos for making the No. 1 hit.
Despite the concert cancellation, the other Sibs Weekend events have not been affected, and BSCPB will be putting its “full support behind the weekend,” Billingslea said.
Harris said she was upset when she heard Migos canceled on BSCPB.
“It’s just really disappointing that it could get this close to the date of the concert and have that happen,” she said “It’s disappointing knowing all of the work they put in because I know what it’s like generating that excitement. I think the biggest disappointment is having to go tell your peers that what you worked for isn’t happening.”
