Ohio University continues to add to its roster of performers heading to Athens this spring with the announcement that rapper Ace Hood will come to Baker Ballroom next month.
The Florida rapper will perform a couple of his songs spanning his five-year career April 9 and will be joined by Black Student Cultural Programming Board Battle of the MCs winners Jean P and Teuro.
BSCPB, which will host the event, polled more than 100 students at one of its events to decide on Ace Hood as the most affordable performer.
“(Ace Hood) is a very passionate artist and my favorite song by him would have to be ‘Hustle Hard,’ ” Jean P said. “He’s an excellent performer and it’s an honor to walk the stage with him.”
Ace Hood has worked with artists such as Rick Ross, T-Pain and Akon on previous records and his newest release, Trials and Tribulations — slated for a July release — has already made a splash on the Billboard charts with the single “Bugatti.”
Now the rapper will make an appearance at OU and give students a chance to hear new material.
Ace Hood’s show stands out as a dance show, whereas the other acts this spring — such as Phillip Phillips, Colbie Caillat and Rodney Atkins — will perform in a more traditional rock setting in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center, said that years ago the university had concerts such as this in the ballroom, but the shows ended for unknown reasons. Now the center and other organizations are seeing if they can revive the venue.
“We didn’t want it to be just another typical show, we wanted it to be more of a dance concert,” said Winsome Chunnu-Brayda, Black Student Cultural Programming Board advisor and associate director of the Multicultural Center.
“If it’s a model that is successful, then maybe we can use it going forward because it’s an inexpensive way to bring in an artist for the students to enjoy, and it’s affordable, not just for us, but also for the students.”
But Jean P said it’s not about the location, but the kind of quality acts that OU brings in.
“I think (students) will come out either way,” Jean P said. “As long as OU has something big going on, no matter where it’s at, I would support it. If they said we would be performing at the cafe in Baker, I wouldn’t care as long as I can rock a stage at OU.”
WH092010@OHIOU.EDU
