A&E

Tuesday, OcTOber 5, 2021

The MarqueTTe Tribune Arts & eNtertAiNmeNt

Page 8

Sean Kingston headlines homecoming concert

DJay Mando opens the show with help from hype-men

By Kim Cook

kimberly.cook@marquette.edu

The early 2000s made a comeback this weekend as certified platinum recording artist Sean Kingston took the stage in Varsity Theatre for Marquette’s Homecoming Concert.

When doors opened at 7 p.m. Saturday night, the small crowd of students that had gathered outside in the rain made their way into the theater for a fun night of throwback hits with their friends and fellow students.

While the free tickets for the concert sold out before the event took place, the show struggled to fill the seats of Varsity Theatre and was barely at half capacity when the Marquette University Office of Engagement and Inclusion set an email advertising free admission, no tickets necessary. Despite the size of the audience, which to my estimate was about 150-200 people, those in attendance were excited and ready for what was in store.

DJay Mando, the opening act of the night’s events, pumped up the crowd with the assistance of his hype-men. Students left their seats and made their way into the aisles for a chance to get a closer look at their crazy dance moves. Songs like Icona Pop’s 2014 hit “I Love It” and Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything” were instant crowdpleasers and kept the energy through multiple, what DJay Mando deemed, “vibe checks.”

Alicia Anderson, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, enjoyed Mando’s performance more than she thought she would.

“I wasn’t expecting him to be as good as he was,” Anderson said. “My favorite part of his set were his hype-men. Their energy was insane, and they were amazing dancers.”

In between sets, Marquette’s Homecoming Royalty was announced, crowning Nora McCaughey, a senior in the College of Education, and Lisset Perez-Jaramillo, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, as this year’s winners. Both received a crown and sash before exiting the stage to make room for the main event.

After letting the anticipation build for almost 15 minutes, Kingston finally kicked off his nine-song set with a track off his self-titled 2007 album entitled “Me Love.” While the audience was dancing and singing along to the chorus, it was pretty apparent that many in attendance weren’t familiar with the song, and it may not have been the best choice for the artist to open his performance with.

Things start heating up though as the night continued. After performing “Letting Go (Dutty Love)”, Kingston surprised the audience with a cover of Iyaz’s 2009 hit “Replay,” a song that proved that small could be mighty in terms of the audience. Fans were not afraid to be heard during this song, especially when Kingston let the crowd sing the chorus and parts of each verse.

And the crowd didn’t relax anytime soon. From “Replay,” Kingston jumped into his trio of songs that the audience was the most familiar with: “Beautiful Girls,” “Fire Burning” and the popular Justin Bieber collaboration “Eenie Meenie.”

While most of the setlist was composed of songs from the 2000s and 2010s, the headliner performed his new single “Love is Wonderful,” a song that is more mature than his older material but still has the same influences of R&B, reggae fusion and hip hop that fans of Kingston’s music love.

Megan Lombardo, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, said that she had never really listened to Sean Kingston before attending the Homecoming Concert, but enjoyed the atmosphere.

“I really only knew his popular songs,” Lombardo said. “I thought [the concert] was good!”

But just as the night was getting started, it came to an end. Kingston ended the night with his 2013 Chris Brown collaboration “Beat It.” While the audience ebbed and flowed with the music, the closing song seemed to lack in terms of the “big finish” that most concerts have.

Sierra Cruz, a sophomore in the College of Education, said that she really enjoyed the concert with the exception of the end of the show.

“I wish he had ended on something like ‘Fire Burning,’” she said. “The vibe of the concert definitely went down after he played that.”

All in all, Sean Kingston delivered a concert for Marquette Homecoming that lacked endurance and left students with mixed feelings. While the venue wasn’t packed with students and the setlist included only a few songs that excited fans, Cruz still enjoyed spending the time with the people she came with.

“I think a lot of the problems fell on the organization of the event. I understand most of them, and (they) didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the event. I had a really good time,” Cruz said.

The MIC speakers lab introduces open mic nights

Open to all Marquette students, welcome to talents, performances

By Izzy Fonfara Drewel

isabella.fonfaradrewel@marquette.edu

The MIC Speakers Lab is on the fifth floor of Johnston Hall. Offering brainstorming sessions, public speaking tutoring and speech advice, the MIC can be a useful resource for students. But this semester, the team of tutors wants to introduce something new.

They are hoping to begin a sequence of open mic nights and mixers held within the lab: As of right now, there are no events scheduled, but the team is hoping to host events on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The open mic nights will be open to all Marquette students, but the MIC is trying to get into contact with clubs on campus and encourage them to participate.

“We really want to feature different Marquette voices, so we’re just trying to find the best way to do that,” Katie Darragh, a sophomore in the College of Communication and tutor in the MIC Lab, said.

Public speaking can be nervewracking, but the MIC staff want students to feel comfortable and they are doing their best to make it so. Professor Tracey Sturgal, Interim Chair of Communication Studies and Strategic Communication and Director of the MIC Speakers Lab, hopes to bring in students with various backgrounds and stories.

“A true open mic night is where you can do anything,” Sturgal said. “We want to allow it to be organic and what people want it to be. We are here to help you tell your story and if you want to be heard, come to the MIC.”

The mixers were developed to help students create connections and meet others within the college. After Sturgal received many comments about these concerns from students last year, she and her team worked together to devise this idea.

All of these events will take place against a backdrop of various paintings from current Marquette students. Jordyn Vena, a first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences, painted a mural displayed on the MIC’s wall.

Her piece, titled “Smile for Me,” features four regal women who, coincidentally, are not smiling. However, Vena has a reason behind her artistry.

“I thought [the title] was kind of ironic, partly because none of the women in the portrait are smiling but it ties into the fact that that’s

Photo by Isabel Bonebrake isabel.bonebrake@marquette.edu The MIC speakers lab is located on the fifth floor of Johnston Hall. Dates for open mic nights are to be decided. a common phrase that men use to catcall women … [and] I wanted to show a sense of empowerment in that picture with the fact that they’re not [smiling],” Vena said.

Each canvas has an intense story behind it that Sturgal hopes the artists will share. To encourage this, Sturgal has asked each student to write a summary about their inspiration that they can share at an open mic night.

“Personally, I’m very inspired by feminism, diversity, unity and I wanted to tie those elements into my piece, and I feel like that’s also part of Marquette’s main mission statement, is to incorporate those things into conversations and our lives,” Vena said. “That was a huge part of the reason I made it, was to start conversations.”

While nothing is set in stone yet, keep an eye out for information about any of the events happening. For now, be sure to stop by the MIC to view the art, attend some tutoring or even just do some studying.

NBA Youngboy returns in a big way with new album

No features from self-titled project, “Sincerely, Kentrell”

By Rashad Alexander

rashad.alexander@marquette.edu

The term “Youngboy Better” has had Twitter in a chokehold over the past year, thanks to the dedicated fanbase of Youngboy Never Broke Again (popularly known as NBA Youngboy). And despite constantly seeing it pop up under random threads, after listening to his new album, they might actually have a point.

Titled after his real name, “Sincerely, Kentrell” is Youngboy’s first album since being arrested for gun charges in March 2021. The project is 21 songs deep with no features and it showcases the pain and love Youngboy experiences. On songs like “Break Or Make Me,” we see the battles he goes through behind closed doors. “I’m gon’ be Maybach riding / World War III inside me, tryna see why nothing I do ain’t right,” raps the Baton Rouge native.

For an album that had to be made without his presence, Youngboy’s team put together an album that really shows who he is and what he experiences. The opening track “Bad Morning” sees Youngboy showcase how his lifestyle is luxurious, yet dangerous. The 21 year old raps, “I don’t need her hand when I’m runnin’ up Benji’s, real deal business, this real Blood business.” Songs like “All I Need” and “Life Support,” however, shows he still has a soft spot through it all.

Along with the musical variety, Youngboy also impressed me with his voice on this album, as his ability to change the pitch of his voice in the middle of songs was very impressive. It kept me engaged during the album, as nobody wants to hear the same sound for 21 songs. “I Can’t Take It Back” is a perfect example of this ability, as he was able to change his voice up three times in the first verse alone. I see a lot of Young Thug in Youngboy when he does this, considering Thug has a very iconic voice in the rap scene and they’ve worked together on previous songs.

As far as complaints go, a lot of the production sounds similar to each other. The beats aren’t bad, but it can get a little repetitive at times, as I’ve seen this similar style on previous Youngboy projects. However, his versatility on the songs make up for the production. His voice and the way he switches flows in the middle of a song keeps listeners engaged. Aside from this, there were little to no flaws on this album.

Overall, “Sincerely Kentrell” is arguably one of the best albums of 2021. And I hope that with this album, people realize just how talented this young man truly is. The world saw a glimpse of what he is capable of when he was featured on “WUSYANAME” with Tyler, The Creator on “Call me if You Get Lost,” but this new project shows just how diverse Youngboy is as an artist.

For his album to go #1 on the Billboard charts while he’s in jail shows the talent and support Youngboy has around him. And while it’s unknown when his trial will begin, it’s obvious that the world is missing out on a superstar in the moment.

I rwate “Sincerely Kentrell” a nine out of 10. My favorite songs were “Baddest Thing,” “No Where” and “On My Side.”

Sincerely, Kentrell

By NBA YOUNGBOY