FYGU Festival comes to Ohio State

Trevor Simpson
Wed, 25 Sep 2019 02:34:04 +0000
Arts & Life, Entertainment, Events, Music, News, Amazon Student, Big Noise Live, concert, festival, Find Your Grind University Festival, FYGU, FYGU Fest, FYGU Festival, Lil Tecca, Luh Kel, music, OUAB, Playboi Carti, rap, rappers, Tayonahh

University of Colorado-Boulder students squeeze together at the first Find Your Grind University Festival of the autumn semester in August 2019. Photo Credit: Big Noise Live

There will be a “whole lotta scarlet” on the South Oval this weekend at the Find Your Grind University Festival.

The Ohio Union Activities Board’s sold-out Homecoming Concert will take place Friday, bringing rappers Playboi Carti, Luh Kel and Teyonahh as part of the FYGU Festival.

The event is through a partnership with Amazon Student and is produced by Big Noise Live, according to the OUAB website.?

Karla Haddad, OUAB director of concerts and fourth-year in marketing and political science, said this will be the first-ever Homecoming Concert. She said the festival will be a great opportunity to create memories with friends through a one-of-a-kind experience for students.

“It’s one of the most ambitious, optimistic causes I’ve seen come to campus,” Haddad said.

FYG is a Los Angeles-based company with a mission of inspiring young people to pursue careers in unorthodox, creative markets such as the music or tech industries, Michelle Kirk, FYG publicist, said.

“The purpose of these festivals is to bring students together and sort of celebrate the music and tech industry and encourage them to go into these industries,” Kirk said.

Concert headliner and Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti blew up the music scene in 2017 when he released his self-titled mixtape with hit songs such as “Magnolia” and “wokeuplikethis*.”?

Of the seven FYGU festivals, Ohio State is the only university to have Playboy Carti performing. Haddad said OUAB was lucky to secure such a highly touted performer.

“As Playboi Carti entered the conversation, [the selection committee] was like, ‘Absolutely. That’s a great idea,’” Haddad said.

Lil Tecca, 17-year-old hip-hop artist, known for his hit song “Ransom,” was scheduled to perform at the festival, but dropped out Tuesday due to illness, Kirk said.

Haddad said Ohio State’s culture and energy surrounding entertainment and concerts led to the appeal from high-profile names.

“I think artists and agencies and the people representing these artists hear Ohio State, and they hear the amount of attendance we can normally have at these events and they’re like, ‘It’s big,’” Haddad said.

Even if students are not looking forward to the music, Haddad said the festival has a vast amount of activities that are sure to pique interest.

In addition to the concert, the festival will have an Amazon Prime Student Lounge with tech simulators and esports activities, including a Madden NFL 20 tournament, according to the website. Food trucks will be lined up along the South Oval selling food and refreshments.

“Ultimately, it comes down to the enjoyment of the students and I think no matter who you are, there’s a place for you there,” Haddad said.

The festival’s gates open at 5 p.m. Friday on the South Oval. Tickets for the festival are sold out. Attendees must present the BuckID used to register upon entry.

Correction: A previous version of this story listed Lil Tecca as a peformer at the upcoming FYGU Festival. Lil Tecca dropped out of the festival Tuesday due to illness.