As part of the University Programs Council’s Welcome Week, rapper Jack Harlow will be headlining this year’s Wahoo Welcome Concert. Michael Kim, UPC Chair and third-year college student, revealed the mystery guest in an interview with The Cavalier Daily.
UPC initially advertised the concert as having a mystery guest, hosting an Instagram raffle with hints for students to solve. Initial hints included a picture of Big Red sodas, a red cream soda mentioned in Harlow’s “SUNDOWN” and a photo of Heath Ledger's “Joker” in reference to Harlow's song entitled "Dark Knight." The third hint was an illustration of green bubbles, referencing Bblasian's song, “Green Bubble,” on which Harlow is a featured artist. The fourth hint featured a map of Gibberd Gallery and Parndon Wood Nature Reserve, both located in Harlow, England.
Prize winners, chosen from a pool of commenters who correctly guessed Jack Harlow, will be notified by the UPC on or before Saturday. As announced on Instagram, the grand prize will reserve front row seats to the show for the winner and two additional guests. The second place winner will receive one piece of autographed merch from the artist.
Rapper Jack Harlow is best known for his 2020 hit “WHATS POPPIN,” featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne, and for his feature on Lil Nas X’s 2021 hit “INDUSTRY BABY.” Besides his notable collaborations, Kentucky-native Harlow gained major popularity from his 2020 album, "That's What They All Say."
Harlow will stop at the University in the middle of his Creme de la Creme Tour and then head to the United Kingdom for a performance at the Reading Festival on Aug. 27. Harlow’s team will be selling merchandise at the Wahoo Welcome Concert for students to purchase.
The Wahoo Welcome Concert will take place Saturday, Aug. 21 at the University’s McIntire Amphitheater and will run from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Doors will open at 8 p.m. with Connor Noble, DJ and third-year College student, as the opening act. The concert is only open to students with valid student IDs, which will be scanned at the gates. The event will be followed by a giveaway at the AFC, including a grand prize of a Bose Soundlink Color II.
To accommodate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, UPC recommends that all attendees wear masks and spread out in the Amphitheater. UPC is also providing ADA accessibility for this year’s concert. Anyone interested can contact UPC and be provided with an easily accessible and socially distanced area.
The concert will be UPC’s first in-person concert since 2019, when UPC hosted rapper A$AP Ferg for the Welcome Week Concert. During the performance, many students were disappointed by the rapper’s misogynistic and homophobic comments, prompting UPC to release a statement distancing themselves from his views. Previous Welcome Week artists include Joey Bada$$ and T-Pain.