Sara Bareilles may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean the music scene at Marquette has done the same.
On April 19, Marquette Radio will be hosting its free annual Spring Concert at the Weasler Auditorium, featuring several up-and-coming hip-hop artists, rappers and DJs that will provide a perfect alternative for Bareilles’ more folk and pop musical aesthetic.
The Weasler Auditorium is the second-to-last stop for the 2011 Animal House Tour, which features rappers XV and The Dean’s List. Marquette is also one of two stops on the tour that will also get both Brenton Duvall and Machine Gun Kelly to take the stage.
While all of the artists are based in the rap genre, WMUR special events coordinator Sasha Molin said they each provide a unique experience.
“They’re all different in their own sense,” Molin said.
XV, whose name represents the age in which he began to rap (15), began his career in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, and grew in popularity after releasing several mixtapes and one album, “Complex,” on iTunes. The rising rap star also has a studio album titled “The Kid With the Green Backpack” planned for release later this year.
“He’s all about representing his hometown of Wichita,” Molin said. “He’s all about doing it for his family and his friends, and making sure he’s doing the right thing.”
While XV wears his hometown’s colors, the other main headliner, The Dean’s List, wears their college heritage on their sleeve. A trio of young hip-hop artists from Boston with an iTunes album titled “Undeclared” and several singles referring to their college years, such as “Dear Professor” and “Last Semester,” the group’s theme will relate well to the Marquette audience.
While the headliners each have their own particular hip-hop sensibilities, even the smaller acts bring unique elements to the concert.
“Machine Gun Kelly is one of the more straight-forward rap artists performing,” Molin said. “With the way he presents himself and his lyrical content, he feels more rap but still has hip-hop at the same time.”
Adding another music genre to the mix is Duvall, who performs as a DJ. Similar to last year’s Marquette University Student Government concert headliner Girl Talk, Duvall mixes and creates mashups of various songs of multiple genres.
The emphasis on hip-hop and rap featured at Tuesday’s concert comes as a change of pace from last year’s WMUR concert artist, indie rockers Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s. While this change in genre started as a coincidence for WMUR, Molin said it now represents a new musical opportunity for the campus.
“The school hasn’t really seen an act of this nature before, as far as my knowledge goes,” Molin said. “WMUR really wants to broaden Marquette’s point of view on music, and hopefully bringing new acts of different genres can help do that.”
The student-run station is hoping to get exclusive radio content, such as live interviews, from the performers as well.
The event’s free admission guarantees that spectators’ wallets will be just as happy and satisfied as their ears. The only item necessary for admittance is a valid college ID, making the concert open to any music-loving collegiate around Marquette the night of the show.
This year’s WMUR Spring Concert, featuring XV and The Dean’s List, will take place Tuesday, April 19 at the Weasler Auditorium at 7 p.m. Tickets are free with any college ID, and doors open at 6:30 p.m.
