RHA hosts hip-hop concert Saturday feat Mich. artists

Almost two hours before Saturday’s Fall Welcome Concert began, MSU special education sophomore Grace Rzepkowski showed up with a group of friends, clad in concert T-shirts signed by the artists they were about to see, to claim the first few spots in line.

Rzepkowski and her friends were among more than 300 students who showed up at the concert, held in the Union Ballroom and sponsored by the Residence Halls Association, to see singer-songwriter Mike Posner, rapper Big Sean and hip-hop trio Fly.Union perform.

“(We saw) Big Sean and Mike Posner in the summertime,” Rzepkowski said. “We’re super psyched. … We’re (Posner’s) biggest fans.”

RHA gave out tickets to the concert free of charge to 350 MSU students, said Melissa Hackett, RHA’s director of public relations and advertising. The tickets were gone within six hours.

“(The concert) was successful overall,” she said. “All of the artists put on amazing performances and the crowd loved it.”

Hackett said the event reached its 350-person capacity and was paid for using funds from RHA’s special events budget.

She said the concert’s total cost will not be available until Monday.

Rodney James, RHA’s director of special events, said Saturday’s concert was the first hip-hop concert sponsored by RHA in almost two years.

“It was kind of like every concert (we hosted) was the same type of genre,” he said. “I just wanted to get artists that have mass appeal (and) have crossover appeal here so that everyone on campus can enjoy and not just a niche group of students.”

Big Sean (real name Sean Anderson), who hails from Detroit and is signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music label, said he felt the event was a success, especially the response from the crowd.

“I think MSU really brought the energy, you know, that hometown love,” he said. “I think it went great.”

The rapper said he is in the process of finishing his first studio album and spends most of his time traveling and performing.

In spite of mostly being on the move, he said the response he has received from fans makes it worth it.

“My favorite aspect is just seeing peoples’ faces light up or just get excited when they see you,” he said. “That’s all you can ask for as a performer. Hopefully it just keeps progressing.