2019 Gumbo final - Book - Page 14
Whatever You Like
T.I. brings the bounce to Bengal Bound
tudents celebrated their return to campus at rapper T.I.’s
concert to close out Bengal Bound 2018, the University’s
official welcome week, on Aug. 18. The concert, hosted
by the Student Activities Board, Student Government
and Campus Life, wrapped up the week of activities scheduled to get
students excited about the University and encourage involvement on
campus for Bengal Bound.
“Bengal Bound was extended to a week this year, so the students
moved in a week early, and it really gave the opportunity for us to have
bigger events like this,” SAB President Walter Scott said. “More people
are encouraged to go, like the freshman on campus. We were actually
reached out to by the committee to try to throw a concert.”
SAB tweeted out a poll in May, asking for student input on who
should perform at the Bengal Bound 2018 concert. People could vote
between Charli XCX, DNCE, T.I. and Tracy Morgan. Based on the poll,
more than half of the students who voted wanted to see T.I. perform at
the University. Scott said they did not expect to get as many retweets
and votes as they did when they initially posted it.
“We talked to our middle agent, and they gave us a list of people who
were available and in our price range, and we put them on Twitter
to see who people wanted,” Scott said. “It was as simple as that. We
wanted to see who really gauged interest in people. Clearly, it was T.I.”
DJ C-Mix hyped up the crowd before T.I.’s performance with a mix
of throwbacks and current hits, from TLC’s “No Scrubs” to Drake’s
“God’s Plan.” DJ C-Mix also brought out local rapper and University fan
favorite Darker Parker.
T.I. performed some of his biggest hits like “Whatever You Like,” “Live
Your Life” and “Bring Em Out.” He encouraged the crowd of students
to work hard to get to where they want to in life, saying that he’s living
proof that any of them can do anything in the world, based on where
he came from to where he is today.
At the end of the concert, T.I. brought a guest he met through the
Make-A-Wish Foundation of America on stage to perform with him.
With all the hype leading up to the concert and the excitement
garnered from the Twitter poll in May, students said the concert was
exactly how they wanted it to be.
“It was good,” kinesiology senior Glory Ogunyinka said. “It was hype. It
was what I expected from T.I.”
Story // Michelle Gauchet
Photo // Reveille Photographer
Design // Chloe Bryars
SAB reached out to SG to use money from SG’s new initiative fund to
put on the concert.
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