Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent to play at Penn

Rapper Busta Rhymes will be headlining the Spring Fling concert on April 11, according to the Social Planning Events Committee's concert branch. Music groups The Donnas, Jurassic 5 and OK Go are also included in Friday's lineup. And in a historic move, the concert is abandoning its usual Hill Field location for Franklin Field. Kirk Freeman, co-director of SPEC Concerts, said that upon the University's request, SPEC set out to look for an alternate venue. After speaking to both administrative and facilities officials, SPEC decided to instead utilize the east end zone of Franklin Field facing the eastern stands. "It's a huge change," Freeman said. "But we think the extra work will definitely pay off." Freeman also said that the particular bands were chosen because of their recent popularity, their mass appeal across a wide variety of people and their high energy. Busta Rhymes is one of the big names in mainstream hip hop. Currently, he has two singles -- "I Know What You Want" and "Make It Clap" -- on the Billboard Top 20 Hot Rap Tracks chart. The rest of the bands also boast hit songs. "Take It Off" by the all-female rock group The Donnas is on Billboard's Top 20 Modern Rock Tracks chart, Jurassic 5's latest album Power in Numbers is gaining popularity and OK Go has made a smooth transition from the Chicago rock scene to the national music level since its self-titled debut album. Student reactions to the band choices are mixed. "That's pretty hot," College sophomore David Johnson said. "How'd they get Busta Rhymes? I can't believe they pulled that off." "This shows that hip hop culture is very diverse," he added, expressing his surprise that the hip hop groups were chosen by an Ivy League school. At the other end of the spectrum, College junior Jim Di Domenico strongly disagreed with the Fling music selection and said he is not planning to attend the event as a result. "I don't like Busta Rhymes," he said. Other students are not even interested in the choice but are focusing on other aspects of Fling instead. A prime example of this is Wharton junior Mark Cohen, who seemed unaffected by the selection -- and more interested in the traditional Fling snacks. "I don't know about the music," he said, "but I am really excited for the pierogies." Last year, SPEC Concerts brought George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars, along with Pete Yorn, Lucky Boys Confusion and De La Soul to Hill Field. Ticket information will be released by SPEC Concerts the week of March 17. Last year's Spring Fling concert tickets cost $15 and were sold on Locust Walk.

Rapper 50 Cent set to perform at Wynn Commons By Beth Pollack Rapper 50 Cent's college tour is scheduled to hit Penn this spring during Penn Relays, a talent agency source confirmed yesterday. An assistant at the William Morris Agency in New York City confirmed that 50 Cent will be performing in Wynn Commons at 9 p.m. on Friday, April 25. "He's performing at a venue on campus, that's... Wynn Commons," the assistant said. "He was booked by the University.... As of now, he is booked for that venue at that time." But "show times change all the time," the assistant added. The rapper -- whose Web site also confirms the tour date -- is best known for his 2002 hit, "Wanksta," and his most recent single, "In Da Club." The performance will coincide with Penn Relays, but members of SPEC-TRUM -- the group that traditionally organizes the Penn Relays concert -- could not be reached for comment last night. Kirk Freeman, co-director of the Social Planning and Events Committee's concert branch, wrote in an e-mail that "SPEC Concerts is not bringing 50 Cent to campus." While tickets are not yet on sale, some Penn students are already psyched for the event. "He always gets me really pumped up," Wharton junior Matthew Cohen said. "I'm really excited about him coming." However, many other students do not appear to share such excitement. Wharton junior Mike Arluck shrugged his shoulders and remarked halfheartedly, "I'll probably stop by, but I'm not a big fan." College sophomore Reed Frasier voiced the sentiment of many Penn students when he said, "I have no idea who that is." Explaining that he is not such a fan of rap music in general, Frasier added that "the only rapper that I like is MC Paul Barman." Who 50 Cent is can be seen through both his rough life story and his recent work reflecting his hardships. 50 Cent, aka Curtis Jackson, was born in Queens, N.Y., 26 years ago. He released a few albums before Get Rich or Die Trying hit it big after he signed on with Shady/Aftermath Records. The album sold 872,000 copies in its first week, more than any other debut artist before him. Continuing to shatter records, 50 Cent hit No. 1 on the show Total Request Live faster than any other debut artist ever has, according to MTV. However, such highs were preceded by many lows for the rapper. When he was 8 years old, his mother was murdered. In 2000, he was shot nine times outside his grandmother's house in Queens in his legs, arms, hands and even his mouth -- the hole that was left in between his teeth from the mouth injury managed to cause a small change in his voice. As of late, he and his band G-Unit were arrested on New Year's Eve for gun possession in New York City.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.