Fabolous to rock IU Homecoming

Fabolous, whose debut album “Ghetto Fabolous” featured his first hit single “Can’t Deny It,” will perform as part of the homecoming celebration along with rapper Wiz Khalifa.

“Right now Fabolous is the hottest he’s ever been,” sophomore Andrew Platkin, member of Sigma Alpha Mu, said. “We want this to be the official homecoming concert for IU.”

In July, Fabolous released “Loso’s Way,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Platkin said Fabolous plays well to a college crowd, a pull other artists do not have.

“He plays a lot of homecomings,” said junior Jeff Safferman, president of Sigma Alpha Mu. “He has a clean act. He’s not a hardcore rapper.”

Along with Fabolous, local acts, such as South Jordan, On the House and Anthony West, will also perform, Platkin said.

Proceeds from the concert will go toward Sigma Alpha Mu’s national philanthropy to help the fight against Alzheimer’s, Safferman said. Portions of the proceeds will pay back the costs of the show, but the rest will go to philanthropy, he said.

“Twenty dollars is the best value for seeing two national acts,” sophomore Jeremy Burke, member of Sigma Alpha Mu, said. “Our dream is to provide affordable entertainment and give back to the community.”

Ticket sales have been relatively high for pre-sales, Platkin said, but more tickets are always sold the day of the event.

“College kids buy stuff last minute,” he said.

A street team, made up of Sigma Alpha Mu members, will deliver tickets to students who order them, Safferman said.

Sophomore Amy Rosenberg said Fabolous will probably draw students to the show. A lot of fraternities compete with events during Little 500 week, she said, but she has not heard of any other fraternities planning concerts for homecoming.

“It sets them apart,” she said. “But if people go and it’s really bad, it may hurt them for
Little Five.”

Last year, the fraternity brought Young Jeezy to perform during Little 500 week, Platkin said.

Platkin added that he thinks that tickets for Soulja Boy Tell ‘em, the act sponsored by the Ice House Foundation as a Little 500 event in April, didn’t sell as well as expected because it ran simultaneously.

“People are confident we’ll provide a great product,” Safferman said.

Members of Sigma Alpha Mu want to continue to provide student entertainment in the future, junior Bryan Wool, member of the fraternity, said.

“We want to continue bringing great shows,” he said. “There’s no reason students can’t have fun while helping out philanthropy.”