DJ Metro Boomin - Photo by Alexis Arnold
On Saturday, August 25, American University's Student Union Board organized a free night show in Bender Arena for their annual Welcome Week concert. Metro Boomin, a record producer and DJ hailing from Atlanta, GA and St. Louis, MO, headlined in addition to rap artist Kelow LaTesha and DJ Shiva as the opening acts.
Kelow LaTesha's music is similar to last year's opening act, Rico Nasty, largely due to their high volume performances. Kelow's production heavily consists of bass and drums. LaTesha rewarded the most energetic and supportive fans with three free T-shirt giveaways.
Sophomore Michelle Emenonye says that she heard about the event when she saw posters on campus. "I arrived at 9 o'clock… At this point I just wanna see Metro Boomin," said Michelle.
Kelow LaTesha - Photo by Alexis Arnold
Shiva's performance proved this event to be full of hyped teenagers jumping up and down. Phones rose as spirits lifted in response to Metro Boomin's arrival and that's when the night changed for the better shortly after the cue: "If Young Metro don't trust you imma shoot you".
The first song he played was Kanye West's "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1", followed by the Migos' "Bad and Boujee". You could see the crowd respond as they jumped up and down to the
This annual ‘Welcome Back to School' event is usually headlined by artists who create original work like A$AP Ferg in 2017 and Goldlink in 2016. Booking a DJ definitely provided the crowd with a change of pace. Given that Metro Boomin is a DJ, he doesn't have to perform his original work. Instead, he often plays music he produced which is later on performed by other artists.
As a result, there is less pressure for him to perform, execute, and attract a crowd that is already intrigued by the popular tracks they anticipate him playing. Senior Joshua Kerobo attended Sunday night's show and says that in comparison to artists, DJs are cut more slack.
Photo by Alexis Arnold
"The artist takes the most blame because that's their lyrics, their voice, their song," said Kerobo. He says that Metro Boomin's clout and experience is how he earns his spot for opportunities like being a headliner at American University but that underground artists trying to come up should be given more of a chance to shine too."
"People should support more in the ways they should. The obstacle of them [the artist] being unknown shouldn't stop them from being able to engage," said Kerobo; "People don't like being uncomfortable… but that's when the best stuff happens".
"We blessed with another year, another school year," said Metro Boomin as he hyped the crowd for the next track. Make sure to follow AUSG SUB on Instagram to get the latest news on upcoming shows and events for the 2018-19 year.
