The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will host rapper Wiz Khalifa, who will perform a sold-out show Dec 4. in Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. The tickets, which went on sale Nov. 9, sold out that morning in less than three hours.

‘I got out of class at 9:20 (a.m.), then went straight to Schine,’ said Abdou Diakite, a freshman English and textual studies major who waited 45 minutes for his ticket. ‘People were there for like two hours,’ he said. ‘They better be worth the wait.’

Alpha Phi Alpha President Joshua Anderson believes it will be. After evaluating the results of online surveys taken by students to see which performer they would like to see most at Syracuse University, Khalifa received the most votes.

‘I believe Wiz Khalifa’s buzz really grew this summer,’ Anderson said in an e-mail. ‘He had performed locally but never at SU on this kind of stage.’

Best known for his hits ‘Black and Yellow’ and ‘Say Yeah,’ the lanky rapper made his debut to the music scene in 2006 with the release of his album ‘Show and Prove.’ He was named MTV News’ Hottest Breakthrough Emcee of 2010 and has performed several sold-out shows on his Waken Baken tour.

On Nov. 8, the day before tickets went on sale at SU, Khalifa was arrested on drug charges after performing at East Carolina University after authorities searched his tour bus. The 22-year-old artist, who speaks openly of his regular marijuana use, posted $300,000 bail and was released the next morning.

‘It’s no secret that he does illegal stuff, he just got caught this time,’ Diakite said. ‘I don’t think it’s going to affect the performance, though.’

Josh Karnett, a freshman broadcast journalism major, said that despite the recent arrest, fans are still going to be loyal and supportive of Khalifa because he handled the situation very well.

‘He didn’t try to bring it to court, disagree with the law or avoid his punishment,’ Karnett said. ‘He dealt with it, he was honest about it, and now he’s coming back to the East Coast to put on a great show.’

Karnett saw Khalifa perform in Dallas while home for Thanksgiving break and is even more excited to see him again at SU.

‘It was a smaller show. I don’t think as many people in the south know about him,’ Karnett said. ‘I want to see him again because I’ve heard rumors that he does his best shows in the northeast.’

Fellow rapper J. Cole is also scheduled to perform with Khalifa. The decision to pick J. Cole came from the idea that both artists complement each other’s musical styles, creating a more cohesive sound, Anderson said.

‘Understated in this artist selection process was the impact of a package of both he and J. Cole,’ Anderson said. ‘J. Cole has a lot of buzz right now, especially after signing with Jay Z’s label Roc Nation, so we anticipate a great show from two rising artists.’

The swift tickets sales were no surprise to the Alpha Phi Alpha brothers, as the Facebook event page for the concert encouraged students to get their tickets early. Anderson said the fraternity tries to outdo itself every year.

The performance is Alpha Phi Alpha’s third annual Hope Benefit Concert, which helps support the not-for-profit organization Home HeadQuarters of Syracuse. Home HeadQuarters creates housing and other such opportunities to improve the standard of living for people in underprivileged communities. The organization is also one of the largest regional providers of affordable home and energy improvement loans and grants.

In the past, the Hope Benefit Concert has seen performances by Day 26 last year and Slick Rick the year before that. All the profits from these concerts, including Khalifa and J. Cole’s, are donated to Home Headquarters.

Anderson said: ‘The partnership has been great on both sides because together we are able to make a substantial impact.’

dmodiama@syr.edu

 

Published on December 1, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Danielle: dmodiama@syr.edu | @daniemarieodie