On Sunday, rap sensation Ludacris stepped onto the scene at Heiges Field House. The “frontin’” mic master, known for his laugh riots weaved between bumping beats, made every fan of hip-hop jump uncontrollably at Heiges.
Ludacris was at the height of his popularity during the early 2000s, with songs like “What’s Your Fantasy?” “Rollout (My Business)” and his famous, “Move Bitch.” But in recent years, he moved into mainstream acting, even having a lead role in the more recent “Fast and Furious” films.
Audiences today have a tendency to look backward, back to what they consider the golden days of music. Whether that falls under the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s (and now even the 2000s), fans tend to pay attention to what captured the spirit of young people back then — rock and rap music alike.
Ludacris falls into that category of nostalgia. “Rollout (My Business),” and especially “What’s Your Fantasy?” was engrained in the zeitgeist of young people during the last decade. And his comedic edge helped his material branch outward into collections of people who would not even consider listening to rap.
Ludacris took his time back stage warming up, while bands and DJs set the tone.
The first performance was the rock and funk group Balmour, consisted of Shippensburg students both current and graduate.
The band succeeded in getting the crowd excited. Balmour wonderfully laid down grooves, with semi-technical beats and funky guitar riffs. It is safe to say Balmour deserved more stage time.
After playing a handful of songs, Balmour finished up and PnB Rock took the stage
Led by Rakim Allen wearing a purple jacket with a dinosaur on it, he and a collection of supporting rappers sprung out fast-paced spit rhymes about life on the streets as a hardcore hustler.
A quote from his group’s website reads, “I didn’t watch cartoons, I didn’t play sports, I just liked music, money and girls.”
Allen and his group provided a sufficient buffer between Balmour and Ludacris, and he showed Shippensburg University his unique skill of mixing bebops and smooth movements.
Next, DJ RL had a solid half hour to take things to the next level. He showed off his skills of scratching and sampling.
In order to once again energize the crowd, DJ RL had a back-and-forth with it, setting up time for the audience to scream the words he wanted it to.
And after that, the crowd got quiet. Ludacris shuffled out in an American-starred Playboy jacket, large sunglasses and a comb in his hair, with the biggest smile on his face. The crowd went bananas.
At one point, Ludacris explained how surprised he was that the crowd knew his material inside and out.
Ludacris has the rare of talent of making his fans laugh hysterically. On Sunday, he did not tell jokes or long stories between his songs, but it was the connection between audience reactions and his setup that had great pay off.
Setting up for songs like “Move Bitch” and “What’s Your Fantasy?,” he joked about how young the audience would have been in the early 2000s.
“Most of you were 1-year-old when I wrote these songs,” and despite that, the audience immediately recognized his hits.
Before you knew it, the show was over. Ludacris came, stunned the crowd and left. But there is something to reflect on.
The Activities Program Board (APB) for SU pulled off an amazing feat. One can only imagine the arduous task of contacting Ludacris and arranging to have him perform here.
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