Photo by Ayla Safran ’18
On April 15, Atlanta-based rapper Waka Flocka Flame, known for his hit “No Hands,” will perform at Mount Holyoke’s biennial spring concert.
BY AHLIA DUNN '20
Waka Flocka Flame will perform at Mount Holyoke’s spring concert on April 15 at 9 p.m. in Chapin Auditorium. The concert will also feature DJ Whoo Kid, who has worked with T.I. and 50 Cent, and opening artist DJ AfroPanther, a DJ from Western Massachusetts.
Reactions to the announcement have been mixed. Jamesa Allen ’18 is happy with the decision. “I am so excited that MHC brought in an artist that represents me and my squad,” said Allen. Sonya Robinson ’20 said that she feels “shocked that he’s coming here because it’s so random ... I really could not be more excited.”
Though many students are excited for the concert, some are not. Melissa Perez ’18 is one of them. “I don’t think he’s worth all the resources MHC has been saving up to do a spring concert once every two years. This is gonna be my last spring concert before I graduate and he’s a lousy performer so...I’m not going,” said Perez.
In the fall, a Spring Concert Committee was assembled to help plan the biennial event. Melody Yin ’20, a member of the committee, said that selecting an artist was the most difficult part. According to Yin, the search began in October with the help of a booking agent. “We had brainstormed potential artists within our budget and had help from an agency, so working off of that, we made a survey for MHC students and included some of those artists as examples,” she said. “We analyzed which genres were popular and whether the artists we included on the survey had an effect on how people responded.”
Miesha Moss ’19, another committee member, said that the committee balanced student interests with keeping POC and LGBTQ artists in high consideration. “We talked through the benefits and cons of each of them before finally coming on Waka Flocka as our choice,” said Moss.
The buzz for the event began when an artist reveal board was placed in Blanchard. The board was a part of the committee’s marketing plan to build suspense and publicize the concert. “It included [various artists’ names] and people could put push pins on who they thought our spring concert would feature,” said Moss. Artists like Anderson Paak, Tove Lo and Kehlani were especially popular. “There was a day that had the majority of the pins on Waka Flocka, which was exciting for us as a committee,” said Moss.
The Atlanta-based rapper, known for hits like “No Hands,” “Grove St. Party” and “Round of Applause,” will follow past artists Angel Haze, Icona Pop and Metro Boomin in performing at Mount Holyoke.
Doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show will start at 9 pm. Tickets have gone on sale online: $5 for MHC students and $20 for guests.