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Published by Baltimore Student Media for the Towson University community September 3, 2009
FALL SPORTS
PREVIEW
See our special pull out section inside
Homecoming plans
double the music
Keri Hilson to play at annual concert,
supported by Washington native Wale
TYLER WALDMAN
Associate Arts Editor
Towson’s homecoming con¬
cert might very well “knock you
down" with not one, but two acts
this year.
Keri Hilson will headline
this year’s concert on Sunday,
Oct. 11 in the Towson Center
Arena, according to the Campus
Activities Board, who will spon¬
sor the event.
According to May Medallada,
CAB’s director, the agreement
was finalized on Tuesday.
Washington, D.C.-based rapper
Wale will open the concert.
Tickets for the show, which
went on pre-sale Wednesday, will
cost $10 in advance for students
or $15 at the door. Non-student
tickets will be available on Sept.
26 for $20 in advance or for $25
at the door.
In late May, CAB released a
survey on Towson’s Daily Digest
e-mail that included Hilson and
other artists such as Lupe Fiasco,
N.E.R.D, Akon and Ludacris.
The survey got about 600
responses, far fewer than the
surveys given for Tigerfest art¬
ists, which pull more than 1,000.
Medallada credited this to the
timing.
"We would have liked more
people to do it, but people were
in finals so they weren’t really
paying attention to the digest
and whatnot," she said.
Medallada said she regrets
that more people didn’t take the
survey.
"We try to make everyone
happy, but obviously that’s hard,
so the most important thing is
people need to take the surveys,
because people will come up and
talk to me about it. People will
say, ‘Oh, this is who I want to
bring,' but it’s not official. It
takes five seconds to do a sur¬
vey online. And if we can get
10,000 students taking it, then
we would get a better idea and
more people would be happy,”
Medallada said.
Medallada said that Hilson
was among the top choices,
along with N.E.R.D and Lupe
Fiasco. Ultimately, she said, it
came down to cost and avail¬
ability.
"What happens a lot of the
time is that they’re not available
or they ask for more money or
something like that, so then we
have to go to the next person on
the list," she said.
Hilson got her start as a song¬
writer for singers such as Britney
Spears, Ciara and Ludacris.
She has also made appear¬
ances in music videos or as a
background vocalist for other
artists.
Her debut album, "In a Perfect
World..." was released in March.
It has since gone on to sell more
than 400,000 copies.
Wale was bom and raised in
the Washington area. He has
released several mix tapes and
singles and has collaborated with
artists like Lady Gaga, Duffy and
The Roots.
In 2008, he signed a contract
with Interscope Records and
Allido Records with his debut
full-length album set to release
on Oct. 20 of this year.
"We thought Wale would be
good because he is from D.C. A
lot of people know who he is,"
Medallada said. "He’s an up-and-
coming hip hop artist... so he has
a good fan base and we think he
can bring in people as well."
Photo by Casey Prather/ The Towerhght
It’s Thursday. High school students are at home, watching
television or studying for a test they have the next day. But
this is college - students can schedule their weeks however
they please, and many see their class-free Fridays as a way
to start their weekend a day early. Continued on PAGE 7
