Mike Foster (Opinion Editor)
There’s been more buzz around Wiz Khalifa coming to campus than Kennesaw State’s first-ever football scrimmage, which will be held before the headline concert at Fifth Third Bank Stadium this Saturday. In fact, this “Wiz” concert has created buzz not just on campus, but around the community—even kids in Gwinnett are Tweeting about it.
While KSU will, for the most part, have a solid homecoming slate for the weekend, I don’t think it is in the best interest of an educational institution to feature an artist that, well, let me just give you this:
“Hol up, hol up, hol up, if you suck and swallow.”
“Throwin money on her like she won the lotto.”
“Pussy must be serious.”
Are you kidding me, KSU?
There’s an explanation here, but not a very good one: Night Owl Productions, which is the entity that organizes events at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, has the goal of bringing marquee events to the venue, which so happens to belong to KSU. With the bottom line in mind, event organizers at Fifth Third Bank Stadium just want to bring attention to the school and area through the use of the facility, which was, in fact, built to double as a premier concert venue.
Fine, but attaching this concert as part of KSU’s Homecoming is a poor choice that hinders the brand of the school—one that is trying to gain an edge as an institution. What type of message does it send when a school headlines its homecoming with…wait…let me just let Wiz speak to us again:
“You got a (sic) ass so fat let’s make a baby.”
Actually, just read all of the lyrics of Khalifa’s latest hit, “We Dem Boyz.” It’s terrible. It’s pure crap. Will Khalifa sell tickets? Yes. Does he help the brand of our school? No.
What this reflects is KSU’s brand as a suburban enterprise—a getaway for devious young adults who’d rather pay to hear someone stand on a stage and recite those idiotic lyrics before earning a degree in a timely fashion.
A homecoming at a university should universally create an environment that not only connects with current students, but also with alumni and children, too.
Everything else on the homecoming schedule, which begins Thursday, checks out. I’m looking forward to the homecoming parade, the pep rally, the family reception on Friday and the football scrimmage.
In fact, considering all that’s gone into starting this football program, you’d think the scrimmage would be the headline. Fifth Third Bank Stadium could still hold a Wiz Khalifa concert, and I’m all for that. But, putting the concert as part—nay, the headline of a “homecoming” that this young commuter school is trying to create only, well, is making it harder to create a homecoming.
But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the lyrics “pussy must be serious” will resonate enough with parents in the greater Atlanta area to where they say, “Honey, I think you should consider Kennesaw State.”
I love KSU. I love nearly everything about its growth and legitimacy that has developed over the years.
With that said, tying Khalifa’s brand to KSU’s is embarrassing. That is, unless KSU is more concerned with being a concert venue than a learning institution.
Dang what do y’all want? A damn gospel singer? chill.
If we’re going to talk about the “name” of KSU that we all love lets talk about the land that KSU purchased once owned by a supporter of lynching. People like myself who have grown up WITH KSU can see why this concert was necessary. MOST schools have their concerts on different days than the football game…otherwise they would have the SAME issue. So let’s maybe talk about how the school should better plan the days of the concert and game and NOT about the lyrics of a song.