Asst. Ent. Editor 18

The fans were glued to their seats when the highly anticipated Outkast concert began Wednesday night, but the crowd bounced to their feet as the opening acts excited them.

Attempting to involve the Shryock Auditorium crowd, show openers Usual Suspects, who performed with a live band instead of with a DJ, shouted at the crowd, Everybody say uh oh, and received an immediate positive response.

Advertisement

Outkast fans like Patricia Owens, a sophomore in education from St. Louis, danced and sang from the front-row seats. Elevated by the roar of the crowd, Owens enjoyed Outkast and its local openers Usual Suspects and Deep Six.

They really hyped the crowd, Owens said. It was real nice how the crowd supported the local acts, being that they are our peers people we go to school with. They reminded you of the old-school rap.

Usual Suspects member, Umar Rashid, a senior in cinema and photography from Chicago, said the group rehearsed constantly in preparation for the concert. He said he is satisfied with the positive response his group (as well as Outkast) received from the audience.

A lot of energy was put forth, Rashid said. I think the crowd is excited just to see a good rap group come to Carbondale.

As a fan of Outkast’s music, Rashid said it is an art form that has had an influence on some of his group’s music.

I like the way they transform the image of rappers from the south the gangsta and player music into a more knowledgeable art form, he said. I knew they would draw a large crowd.

Outkast members Dre and Big Boi along with DJ Swiff performed songs from their first album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik and their second, ATLiens.

Advertisement*

Dre said performing at colleges gives them a chance to appeal to diverse audiences.

Around this time of the season we get a lot of colleges wanting us to come to their city, and it’s cool, Dre said. We get a chance to see a new and different crowd. But, it’s always a nice presentation.

Big Boi said their performance is sometimes a reflection of the crowd’s spirit during the concert.

It depends on how the crowd acts, he said. When the crowd is hype, we get hype.

Ahmad Rahman, a senior in elementary education from

Chicago, said a concert for rap music fans was much needed at SIUC.

This is my first time experiencing an event that was primarily target toward African-Americans through a University program, he said. It was just different.

Providing entertainment that African-Americans would enjoy was Tiffany Thomas’ goal when she was planning the concert along with other organizations. Thomas was the event coordinator from the Black Affairs Council, which co-sponsored the event with Student Programming Council.

BAC, SPC and United Front decided it was time a concert was held to target African-American students, Thomas said. And it is a good sign that organizations are into participation. I hope that it’s a relationship that can continue.

Owens said she attended the concert not only to see several rap groups, but also to support the organizations that sponsored the concert.

It was a good turn-out, and I think this will lead to more supportive functions in the future, she said. Hopefully, more shows will be done.

Thomas said although only 385 students attended much less than expected she was impressed by all the groups’ performances.

I would have liked a larger audience, but I’m happy with the students that showed, she said. But the concert had a real nice vibe. Everyone enjoyed themselves. I’m very enthusiastic about the local groups. They put on an excellent show.