After months of budgeting troubles, University Union has finally selected an artist to perform at this year’s Block Party.

UU will host rapper Snoop Dogg on May 1 at 8 p.m. in the Carrier Dome at its 12th annual Block Party.

Tickets were listed on Ticketmaster.com Thursday, and will be available to the public Monday, according to the Web site. Students will be able to buy tickets at the Schine and Carrier Dome box offices for $10.

The contracts for the concert were signed Friday, said UU Concerts Co-chair Sherlen Archibald.

The Game, who has been touring with Snoop Dogg on this tour, will not be performing at SU.

‘It’s just the issue of it’ll cost us more money than we have,’ Archibald said. The Game tours with pyrotechnics, which make his performance beyond what UU can afford.

Snoop was originally intended to perform at Harvard University on May 1, but security costs caused the concert there to be dropped at the last minute, said Matthew Glazer, president of the Undergraduate Council, Harvard’s student government.

Glazer said the Harvard Concert Commission, a subsidiary of the UC that schedules on-campus concerts, was unaware that the Boston Police would have to be hired for security for the Snoop Dogg show.

‘The Boston Police Department had a certain requirement that the concert commission didn’t learn about until the very last minute,’ Glazer said.

As of yesterday, Director of Public Safety Marlene Hall had not heard about the concert or the controversy and concerns at Harvard, she said. She did note that different types of events and locations require different safety measures and that organizations have always been willing to work with DPS.

Hall referred specific questions to Lt. John Sardino, who coordinates special events, who was not available for comment.

‘Obviously it’s a bigger event, so there are more possibilities for something to go wrong,’ Archibald said, adding that the Dome has often hosted large performances, including Billy Joel, Elton John and Paul McCartney. Archibald is confident that safety will not be an issue.

Archibald expects the 7,000 tickets to sell out. Whispers of a Snoop Dogg performance have been flying around campus, and UU received several e-mails asking about a possible appearance.

Glazer said he was told that another school, though he didn’t know which, was ready to pick up the May 1 date.

Snoop Dogg’s recent album includes the song ‘Can You Control Yo Hoe,’ in which his lyrics state ‘You go to put that bitch in her place, event if it’s slappin’ her in her face.’ These lyrics caused several Harvard students to speak out against Snoop Dogg’s appearance.

‘Some students were offended by (Snoop Dogg’s) lyrics, but it was never our goal to offend anyone,’ Glazer said.

Jess Larsen, events coordinator for Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment at SU, said while the short time between now and the concert may make a protest logistically challenging, she ‘wouldn’t rule out the possibility.’

‘It’s a really important issue that we need to be addressing but also contextualizing,’ she said.

While gangster rap does glorify pimping and the images of women as sex objects, it is important to realize that this music comes out of a culture that is often misogynistic, she said. Such lyrics ‘absolutely’ perpetuate violence, she said.

‘Black gangster rappers and the culture of black young males are often made the scapegoats that are indicative of problems that are pervasive of our entire culture,’ Larsen said, adding that perpetuating racism in the critique of rap’s effects on society is equally wrong.

Those against Snoop’s appearance at Harvard probably didn’t know his record and all he has to contribute as an artist, Archibald said. SU students have a more positive light and image of Snoop, who contributes regularly to charities and coaches his son’s football team, Archibald said.

‘Maybe the people over there are more blind-sighted to what he’s done.’ Archibald said. ‘I don’t think it’ll be a problem on this campus because it’s a liberal, music-oriented campus.’

UU will use the same security measures it always uses for concerts, including SU event staff, Public Safety and the Syracuse Police Department, Archibald said.

Rachael Yamagata, a singer-songwriter, will perform at a pre-Block Party concert in the Schine Underground April 30 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the pre-Block Party are $5 for students. Yamagata’s sound is similar to Christina Applegate, and her work has appeared on the WB Network’s ‘The O.C.’

Snoop Dogg’s tour will also stop at the University at Buffalo on April 30 and Cornell University on May 6.

UU has been hosting Block Party for 12 years; the last three were held in the Carrier Dome. Last year, Wyclef Jean performed with Talib Kweli, Da Band and Northern State.

‘It’s an outlet for students at the end of the year to come out and express themselves,’ Archibald said.

 

Published on April 22, 2005 at 12:00 pm