Despite co-sponsors withdrawing, the Black Student Cultural Programming Board scheduled two hip-hop acts to perform in Athens on May 22.
The BSCPB's concert coordinator, Candice Brooks, said the organization booked the rap artist Twista and R&B duo Floetry for Black Alumni Weekend in May.
Originally, the BSCPB planned to co-sponsor the concert with the University Program Council and the International Student Union and hold it in The Convo, Brooks said. However, the organizations had difficulties dealing with extra costs at The Convo, including renting a $10,000 stage.
We looked at big-name artists
Brooks said. We wanted Outkast or Ludacris and we had the funding to do it. The major concern was that we were not being as cost effective using that venue.
The concert was moved to Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, but the concert sponsors could not agree on an artist.
The UPC expressed concerns late in the game about the lyrics of Ludacris which we had talked about for quite some time
Brooks said. We were prepared to send out bids when they expressed their concerns.
Brooks said relationships were strained among the co-sponsors. It's a major challenge to meet the mission and goals of three very different organizations and fit it within our price range
she said.
However, the BSCPB still wanted to have the concert, which has typically been their Sibs Weekend tradition. This year, a conflict in the auditorium prevented the BSCPB from booking an artist on that weekend.
We decided to do our own concert as we planned to from the beginning of the year
Brooks said. Things just happen
and time was of the essence.
Marisa Long, president of the University Program Council, said having two concerts would attract different students. We decided not to collaborate because we thought it would be better to do two concerts. We didn't withdraw funding
we chose not to collaborate
and there are no hard feelings
she said.
UPC will sponsor a separate concert this quarter, but the artist has not yet been announced.
Brooks said the three organizations still meet to plan events for next year and will maintain good relations.
Ticket sale dates for the BSCPB concert are not definite, she said.
Chicago-based Twista, named the world's fastest rapper by the Guinness Book of World Records more than a decade ago, is currently on the music charts with the song Slow Jamz
featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, according to his official Web site, http://www.twista.net.
Floetry, the London duo of Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart, is known for writing R&B/hip-hop songs for well-known artists, including Michael Jackson, according to their Web site, http://www.floetry.net.
