If you feel that you need more than First Day of Classes to kick off a new school year, Thursday's Heatwave concert on Abele Quad will surely do the job.
The concert's headliner is the British duo Snakehips, who has recorded music with a number of well-known artists including Chance the Rapper, Zayn Malik and The Weeknd. Also performing will be Small Town Records affiliates Apollo J and jiggy riKO, who will open the concert.
“As a [Duke University Union] Committee, we always strive to maximize our appeal to Duke's diverse interests in music genres,” wrote senior Dylan Posner, chair of DUU campus concerts, in an email. “Based on the past two years of student survey data for LDOC, rap and EDM are the two most popular genres on campus and we wanted to pair these genres for the first big concert of the year.”
Snakehips’ most popular songs include the 2015 single “All My Friends,” which features Chance the Rapper and Tinashe. The song peaked No. 2 in New Zealand, No. 3 in Australia and No. 2 on the Billboard chart of U.S. Dance Club Songs.
Posner explained that Snakehips checked many of the boxes for being a hit with students.
“Snakehips has a really great sound, and often synthesizes electronic music with rappers, R&B singers, and pop stars,” he wrote. “They also have a few banger remixes, which give off a summer vibe and the high energy we're looking for with this concert.”
The student-run record label Small Town Records will present the concert’s opening artists Apollo J and jiggy riKO.
Rapper Apollo J counts J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar among his musical influences. He “passionately blends emotional lyricism with unmatched liveliness and energy,” according to the Small Town Records website.
A hip hop and rap performer, jiggy riKO “draws on the individuality and versatility” of the artists who inspire him, including Masego and Travis Scott, according to the website.
Posner wrote that both of these artists are popular with students on campus and highlight the collaboration between different committees in DUU.
Last year's Heatwave concert was headlined by rapper Sage the Gemini and opened by rapper Luke Christopher.
“Heatwave is all about bringing back together upperclassmen to kick off the year in a celebratory mood and giving the first-year students a taste of Duke's concerts and social culture,” Posner wrote.
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