Clockwise from top left: Juicy J, Caked Up, The Chainsmokers and Childish Gambino are slated to perform at OUAB’s Big Free Concert on the South Oval April 10.
Credit, clockwise from top left: Courtesy of MCT, Warpath Group, 4AM and Glassnote.
While Ohio State banned smoking on campus this semester, the South Oval will be lighting up for The Chainsmokers, among others.
The Big Free Concert, sponsored by the Ohio Union Activities Board, is set to include Childish Gambino with Juicy J, The Chainsmokers and Caked Up. The artists are scheduled to perform on the South Oval April 10 at 7 p.m.
Rapper Childish Gambino, whose real name is Donald Glover, released his latest album, “Because the Internet,” in December, and also has a role on NBC’s “Community.” OUAB sponsored a Childish Gambino concert previously on his 2012 Camp Tour, which came through the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion in May of that year.
Juicy J, whose real name is Jordan Michael Houston, is a rapper from Memphis, Tenn. He has collaborated with artists such as Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa in the past, and has also worked with Katy Perry in her top-ranked hit “Dark Horse.”
The Chainsmokers, a New York-based singer-songwriter duo made up of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall, recently scored the top spot on the Billboard dance charts with their single “#SELFIE.”
Topping off the lineup is the dubstep project Caked Up, made up of Oscar Wylde and Vegas Banger.
Student reaction has been mixed regarding the Big Free Concert lineup.
“Of the (lineup), I’m definitely a fan of Childish (Gambino),” said Keshawn Harper, a fourth-year in criminology. Harper said Childish Gambino “avoids the BS that a lot of other rappers talk about” and he respects the artist for being able to pursue a career in music and comedy.
The Chainsmokers might deter him from going early, though.
“Ever hear that (‘#SELFIE’) song? It’s really annoying,” Harper said.
Juicy J, more so than Childish Gambino, has caught the ear of other students.
“I listen to a decent amount of Juicy J right now, so I would be pretty excited to have them come here. It would be pretty cool to that they show up to our university,” said Sean Baumgardner, a first-year in pre-engineering. Baumgardner said he plans to attend the concert.
Not all students were crazy about the lineup, though, such as Brian Fitzgerald, a third-year in psychology.
“I thought it was going to be a bigger name than Childish Gambino … I was a little let down about the names. I’m still excited, I’m going to go, but I didn’t like the selection. I think we could have done a little better,” Fitzgerald said. “We were hearing that we were going to get Kesha. Now I think that’s like stooping down a little bit lower than what (we’re capable of).”
