Waka Flocka Flame will perform at 2018 Jubilee concert

Waka Flocka Flame will perform at this year’s Jubilee with artists DJ Luke Nasty and Hollywood Cold.

The Carolina Union Activities Board also considered Playboi Carti, Young Dolph, Vince Staples and Wale before deciding on Waka Flocka. 

The rapper has become popular with singles such as “O Let’s Do It” and “No Hands." The latter reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. 

Waka Flocka Flame has released two studio albums, “Flockaveli” in 2010 and “Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family” in 2012. He is set to release the album “Flockaveli II” in 2018. 

“Once we presented that to the board, we looked at the pros and cons of each person,” CUAB Entertainment Co-Chair Amber Goodwin said. “So, someone like Playboi Carti has like one really popular song, but then after that it kind of gets hard to know other songs.” 

CUAB put out a survey to the student body on Twitter earlier this year to gauge what music genre students hoped to hear at Jubilee. Goodwin said this year, the rank was rap first, followed by R&B and then pop. 

Entertainment Co-Chair Alex Bianchi said it cost about $32,000 to book Waka Flocka, compared to the $125,000 it cost to book 2 Chainz in 2017. 

“There was a change in our budget from this year compared to last year, so we actually had a decrease in our budget,” Bianchi said. “So, that limits whatever artist you’re able to book. So, there was a change in our budget that kind of influenced the decision we made." 

Bianchi said the advance ticket price for the concert has also decreased to $5 per student in an effort to increase accessibility for students. 

“Like last year, tickets went up maybe $25 for the floor at 2 Chainz, but we didn’t want that to be something that was an issue for people,” Bianchi said. “So, we set the price very low. I think that’s something that students are really happy about.” 

The Jubilee concert, which was held at Carmichael Arena in 2017, will move to Hooker Fields this year. 

“We kind of thought more of the Rae Sremmurd Jubilee concert because I know everybody would always refer back to that — and we weren’t here yet because it was the year before us — but it was outside and everybody loved the whole atmosphere,” Goodwin said. “So, we really wanted to bring that back and have tickets that were more affordable, and I think just the outdoor concert feel.” 

Goodwin said it cost about $13,000 to book DJ Luke Nasty, a rapper and DJ from High Point. Hollywood Cold, a rap duo from Atlanta who approached CUAB and asked to be part of Jubilee, will not be paid for their performance. 

This will be the second year in a row that a hip-hop artist will perform at Jubilee, which Bianchi said was due to the growing popularity of the genre among college students. 

“Hip-hop is such a trendy thing on college campuses,” Bianchi said. “I think it’s growing pretty popular in general and almost becoming — or merging with mainstream. So I think that’s one of the reasons that a lot of people on campus, whenever they vote on a genre survey, tend to lean towards hip-hop. Also, it’s very broad.” 

The Jubilee performer last year was 2 Chainz, who some students said is a tough act to follow. 

“2 Chainz is a little more relevant and he has a lot more current music I think than Waka Flocka, but Waka Flocka is still really awesome," first-year Bria Clyburn said. "He has really high-energy concerts, so I think it will be a lot of fun.” 

The concert will be on April 7. 

“I’m really excited because I feel like Waka Flocka brings a lot of energy and it will be a good time to end the year the right way and have a good time,” sophomore Alexis Jordan said. 

arts@dailytarheel.com