SPEC-TRUM concert to feature YG, Metro Boomin and Kamaiyah

On the last day of classes, YG, Metro Boomin and Kamaiyah will be performing in SPEC-TRUM’s annual Spring Concert held at the Armory.

The Social Planning and Events Committee to Represent Undergraduate Minorities will be hosting the concert on Wednesday, April 27 at the Armory on 23rd Street, a change from last year’s spring concert which was held at World Cafe Live.

“This year’s venue is off-campus but it’s right over the bridge and a very short walk... Last year there was such a high demand for our show with Rae Sremmurd and people were selling their tickets on our Facebook page for $70,” SPEC-TRUM Director and College senior Erica Nicokiris said. “We’re excited to try a new venue that has a larger capacity and we want to make [the concert] more accessible to Penn students.”

This year’s tickets are $20 for Penn students and $30 for non-Penn students.

This year’s headliner is the Compton, California-born rapper Keenon Jackson, better known by as stage name “YG”. His album “My Krazy Life” was released in 2014, and the 26-year-old hip-hop artist is now going on tour with G-Eazy and Logic this summer after performing at Coachella this past weekend.

One of this year’s openers, Kamaiyah, is also friends with YG. An up-and-coming rapper from Oakland, California, she collaborated on a song with YG as part of her debut mixtape “A Good Night in the Ghetto,” released in March 2016. “[YG and Kamaiyah] are friends and we’re really excited for them to collab on stage,” Nicokiris said.

The second opener, Metro Boomin, has been blowing up on social media and pop culture with his DJ tag “If Young Metro Don’t Trust You,” which was used in the songs “Jumpman” by Drake and Future and “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” by Kanye West in his album “The Life of Pablo.”

The 22-year-old Atlanta-based record producer has produced instrumentals for rappers including Future, Drake, Kanye West and Young Thug and composed the majority of tracks on Drake’s album “What a Time to Be Alive” and Future’s “DS2”. Metro Boomin attended Morehouse College to study business management but dropped out after his music career schedule became too demanding.

“We really want to take advantage while he’s still climbing the charts and get him to perform at Penn now,” Nicokiris said. SPEC-TRUM is known for bringing in up-and-coming artists right before they make it big. In the past, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper and Travis Scott have all performed at SPEC-TRUM concerts.

Unlike past years, this year’s concert is held on the last day of classes to celebrate the end of the year. “The concert is definitely the place to be to unwind and dance and be in a good environment...it’s the last day of classes and a great way to reward yourself for working so hard throughout the year,” Nicokiris said.

Correction: this article has been updated to reflect that Kamaiyah is from Oakland, California, not Los Angeles, California. The DP regrets the error.

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