Rappers Princess Nokia and Rob $tone to open SPEC-TRUM fall concert

Get ready for a packed homecoming weekend: Rappers Princess Nokia and Rob $tone will be the openers for SPEC-TRUM's fall concert.

The concert will take place on Oct. 26 at the Rotunda and SPEC-TRUM will announce its headliner Friday.

SPEC-TRUM's mission is “to put on events that kind of provide an inclusive space for Penn students, specifically minorities," Wharton senior and SPEC-TRUM Co-Director Olivia Nelson said. "A large part of that is concerts and the artists we kind of showcase fit into that minority background as well."

For this year’s openers, SPEC-TRUM has chosen Princess Nokia, a Black and Puerto Rican rapper from the Bronx, and Rob $tone, an up-and-coming rapper from San Diego, whose music you can check out by looking up “Chill Bill” on Spotify and “1992” on YouTube. 

Co-Director of SPEC-TRUM and College senior Stephanie Hodges is very excited about SEPC-TRUM’s opening acts.

She said Princess Nokia “has great energy on stage and will really vibe with our headliner” and described “Chill Bill” by Rob $tone as “a banger." The committee is eager for this year’s fall show to be a big success — the group had to cancel its spring concert the day of after both artists cancelled.

Previously the committee has seen great success in bringing in high-profile celebrities to headline events at the University. Aziz Ansari, Serena Williams, Kevin Hart and Kanye are only some of the A-listers that SPEC has managed to bring onto campus. 

SPEC-TRUM’s process for organizing such events is understandably very hectic, organizers said. In fact, planning for the fall show began in July of this year. As we get closer to the day of the show, Hodges reflects, “it’s kind of challenging but we made it work."

Wharton senior and SPEC-TRUM Executive Liaison Alexander McClelland described the fall show as an event that provides “a release, an outlet from significant pressures and stresses that students are really feeling."

He added that it will "allow for students to have the opportunity to relax and relieve the pressures they’re feeling academically, socially and politically.” 

Tickets for the show will be sold online and on Locust Walk starting Monday at 9 a.m. until they are sold out. Ticket prices for Penn students are $10 and for the general public, tickets will cost $15.

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