Lil Baby, the 24-year-old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia is known for hit singles like “Drip Too Hard” and “Yes Indeed”. (Instagram/@lilbaby_1)
At long last, SUBOG has revealed the long-awaited headliner for UCONNIC 2019. Monday morning, members of SUBOG posted a video across social media that stated that the headliner would be announced on Facebook later that afternoon. The video later revealed that Lil Baby would be performing at the spring concert.
The 24-year-old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia is known for hit singles like “Drip Too Hard” and “Yes Indeed” which have peaked at number four and six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, respectively. His last three albums have peaked in the top five of the Billboard 200 chart.
With hip-hop being the most popular genre on a previously released survey from SUBOG, Lil Baby was also one of the most popular choices.
”We were convinced that he was a great fit to headline our show when we learned how eager he was to perform at an event like UCONNIC, which made us extremely excited because we know he will give it his all when performing on April 11,” Ryan Banigan, SUBOG concert chair, said.
Banigan mentioned how the genre of hip-hop has shifted towards mumble rap and autotune recently and thus concluded that Lil Baby would be “the most relevant and exciting performer.” Other artists who were considered for the concert were Rae Sremmurd, Gunna, Blackbear and Lil Uzi Vert.
The announcement of Lil Baby’s headlining performance at UCONNIC was immediately met with mixed reviews across social media. Banigan responded by stating that there will always be good and bad responses when an artist is announced but “we have spent months planning this event, so we see this as an opportunity to make people fall in love with this lineup as we announce more diverse artists that reach different demographics over the next few days.”
In response to some of the backlash that SUBOG received from announcing the headliner a little over a week before the concert, Banigan explained that the paperwork needed to be finalized in order to ensure there were no cancellations, which meant it took longer than usual.
“I completely understand any frustration that students hold towards not having the artist announced earlier, but at the end of the day, I truly believe the event is worth attending regardless. Many people don’t realize that this is a completely student-run organization, meaning that we’re in charge of working with agents and production companies to ensure an unforgettable UCONNIC,” Banigan said.
Since being elected to Concert Chair, Banigan’s biggest goal was to create an event that could please as many students as possible. In the past, students have decided on attending the show based upon the performers, according to Banigan, but this year “we have placed ourselves in the position to attract students to UCONNIC through so many other pieces, like food trucks, vendors, activities and so much more.”
In regards to what’s new with this year’s UCONNIC, the floor space has been expanded to accommodate an extra 400 students. New merchandise will premiere and students will have the opportunity to submit their art to be showcased at UCONNIC in various ways. SUBOG has also partnered with USG to sponsor the outdoor portion of the festival with many activities and photo opportunities. Not only this, but Apple is also a sponsor of this year’s music festival, providing students with the chance to save 50 percent off of their order with the use of Apple Pay at any of the food trucks. This is “the first SUBOG event in 66 years of existence to ever receive a corporate sponsorship,” Banigan said.
Tickets are currently on sale on SUBOG’s website, ranging from as low as $20 for upper level tickets, to $45 for lower level tickets and $75 for floor tickets.
“All in all, UCONNIC is so much more than just a concert. Between food trucks, vendors, merchandise, student involvement and so much more, we find as many ways as possible to make UCONNIC for you,” Banigan said.
Brandon Barzola is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at brandon.barzola@uconn.edu.
