It’s pretty easy to guess the response to who would win the cross-town showdown between 50 Cent and John Legend. The same can be said for the potential turn out of college students at a concert.
‘ Sure, John Legend has that hit about the stoplights, but 50 Cent is a platinum-selling rapper who rose from the drug dealing streets of Queens, survived nine gun shot wounds, and has collaborated with the likes of Eminem, Dr.Dre, Justin Timberlake and Akon. He’s also the rapper who, come March, will be appearing on the stage at the William H. Pitt Center of Sacred Heart University.
Last year’s performance at Sacred Heart of Grammy Award winning artists Ne-Yo and T-Pain, and this spring’s headline of ‘Fidy’ leaves Fairfield students asking: Why does Sacred Heart always seem to outshine us when it comes to the much anticipated Spring Concert?
Last year, T-Pain and Ne-Yo were at the top of their games with hits like ‘Buy You a Drank,’ ‘Bartender’ and ‘Because of You.’ Sure, Fairfield increased its street cred with the Southern rapper, Ludacris, but his latest hit, ‘Money Maker, had been popular in 2006, making many Fairfield students regard it as a ‘throw-back’ concert.
50 Cent has been out of the concert circuit for the past few years and this will be his first concert in Connecticut for the former Nutmeg State resident in two years; but with the recent release of his newest single, ‘Crack Bottles,’ 50 Cent has come roaring back onto the rap scene. This current single, a collaboration with Eminem and Dr. Dre, currently sits at number one on the iTunes top songs chart.
One can muster a guess that on the night of March 27, 50. who already owns a key to the city of Bridgeport, will take the stage to a packed house at the Pitt Center. The crowd will obviously include a large portion of the SHU student body but also a huge following from Fairfield’s own student body. Could the Fairfield turnout at Sacred Heart be more than the turnout was at John Legend on Dec. 26? I guess it remains to be seen.
But why? Is it because the demographics of the student body at Fairfield emulate the image of kids who desire the likes of bands like O.A.R., Guster and Dashboard Confessional? Of course these are still great bands in their own. However, after the sold out show of Girl Talk, and the excitement that surrounded Ludacris, one has to wonder if FUSA is completely missing the mark when it pays thousands of dollars to hire the artist who quietly serenades us as we wait for our coffee at Jazzman’s. Who wants to spend their Friday or Saturday night sedated by coffee shop music surrounded by people who remind them of their parents? It’s a question of personal opinion but, personally, I’d rather ‘crack bottles’ with a pumped up crowd to songs like, ‘In Da Club’, and ‘Disco Inferno.’
With the hope of our own spring concert dwindling, the bridge between the cross-town rivalries will be crossed on March 27. Fairfield students will attend to pay their respects to the rapper who made gunshot wounds, candy shops and shawties cool.
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