Hip-hop/neosoul group The Roots will headline this year's Spring Fling concert on April 30, Concert Board announced at the annualBattle of the Bands contest on Saturday. DJ and instrumentalist RJD2, who creates and produces a mix of hip-hop and electronic music, will also play.
The choice for Spring Fling acts is a matter of balancing costs with wide appeal, Concert Board co-Chair Kelsey Schur, a junior, said.
"A lot of times it comes down to who's available," Schur said, adding that she was satisfied with the result of the process.
"I'm extremely happy, I'm so proud of this," Schur said. The bands will appeal to a wide range of students, she added.
"They worked out on so many fronts that it was just an obvious choice for us," Schur said. "RJD2 is … probably not as well-known as The Roots; that's often the case with the artist that comes out before the headliner."
Two student bands, the American Symphony of Seoul and Explicit, earned a performance spot at Spring Fling alongside the two professional acts, according to Schur.
"I think [what we're looking forward to the most] is just the opportunity to perform in front of our friends and perform before The Roots and get the chance to meet them," Explicit vocalist Rashad Davis, a sophomore, said. Davis said the group's style was undefined but that at Battle of the Bands they played music ranging from funk to rock.
The Roots played Spring Fling in 2004. "We don't repeat within the same four years, but past that it's fine," Schur said.
The board finalized the process of securing The Roots in February and chose RJD2 to complement them.
"I'm very happy with how things are turning out," Schur said.
For more on The Roots and RJD2, see Arts.
