After both Cardi B and GoldLink swiped left on performing at the Last Day of Classes concert, rap artist and R&B singer Marc E. Bassy jumped in as the last-minute headliner.
Bassy joined Quinn XCII, Seeb and the indie pop band Smallpools for the outdoor Duke concert, which students said was safer and more accessible than in past years, despite the rain.
But how does Duke’s spring blowout compare to its peers?
Some schools landed big names for their annual concerts. Like Duke, Vanderbilt got a short-notice cancellation from GoldLink. Harvard brought in last year’s P-Checks headliner, and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst was a match for the Cardi B concert.
Harvard
Harvard’s annual Yardfest featured Wale and Lil Yachty this year, along with a couple of student groups as opening acts, according to The Harvard Crimson. Duke students may recognize one of Yardfest’s headliners—the rapper Wale—from last year’s P-Checks concert in Krzyzewskiville.
Lil Yachty is best known for his hits “iSpy” and recently released his second album called "Lil Boat 2." Wale’s biggest hits include “Bad,” “Lotus Flower Bomb” and “The Matrimony". The student groups who performed at the outdoor concert on April 13 were chosen through a Battle for Yardfest event, according to The Crimson.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
UNC’s Jubilee concert was headlined this year by Waka Flocka Flame. The rapper is best known for his hits “Hard in da Paint” and “No Hands,” and follows in the steps of 2 Chainz, who headlined the concert in 2017.
The Daily Tar Heel reported that there was a significant cost difference for the planning board between last year and this year. 2 Chainz cost $125,000 to book, but Waka Flocka Flame only cost $32,000. Unlike LDOC, Jubilee is a ticketed event—floor seats for 2 Chainz last year cost $25, according to the DTH.
Vanderbilt
Like Duke, Vanderbilt also got a late cancellation from GoldLink. The rapper was set to perform at the school’s Rites of Spring concert on Saturday, April 21, but was replaced at the last minute by hip hop rapper Lil Bibby, according to the Vanderbilt Hustler.
However, Vanderbilt students had plenty of other well-known acts for the two-day festival to make up for the loss of GoldLink. Friday’s festivities included performances by the funk-rock band DNCE, R&B singer H.E.R. and singer Kiiara. Saturday’s acts included the rapper Gucci Mane, the electronic music trio Cheat Codes, Lil Bibby and the local band Born Animal.
Cornell University
Cornell’s famous Slope Day, hailed as its oldest tradition, will be held on May 10 this year and is slated to feature three acts, according to the event’s website.
This year’s headliner will be the Swedish electronic dance music group Galantis, which is best known for its songs “No Money” and “Runaway.” The event will also feature the Canadian duo of Young Bombs and Dreezy—a rapper, singer and songwriter known for her songs “Body,” “We Gon Ride” and “Close to You.”
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
The University of Massachusetts arguably hit the end-of-year-concert jackpot this year. Not only did the school bring in singer and songwriter Khalid and rapper Lil Yachty for their Spring Concert on April 15, but they also beat out more than 60 other schools for the Cardi B concert through Tinder’s #SwipeOff challenge.
According to the Amherst Wire, the concert occurred April 25 and was free to UMass students with a student ID and Tinder account on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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Bre is a senior political science major from South Carolina, and she is the current video editor, special projects editor and recruitment chair for The Chronicle. She is also an associate photography editor and an investigations editor. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief and local and national news department head.
Twitter: @brebradham
Email: breanna.bradham@duke.edu