Boost Mobile and Rock Corps Rock Atlanta with Free Hip Hop Concert
Throughout the spring months, thousands of local “ATLiens” signed up to give four hours of hard work in exchange for one ticket to what was expected to be one of the summer’s hottest shows. Four hours may not seem like a lot of time, but when thousands participate, huge changes become apparent. The volunteer opportunities were limitless and included painting, gardening, and cleaning; site choices were also limitless ranging from Southwest Atlanta all the way to Marietta (which is where I gave my four hours). Each community service site seemed very hip, offering t-shirts, and gloves with the Boost Mobile-Rock Corps emblem, and music; at my site, I noticed each participant working together while grooving to cool hip hop beats and talking about the artists slated to appear at the concert: Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Big Boi, and young Jeezy. Boost Mobile and Rock Corps really went all out to make sure that each participant was well taken care of, offering unlimited bottled water, giving a meal, and of course giving one ticket to an exclusive concert that no one could buy tickets for.
On the day of the concert, I anxiously waited outside the Fox Theater to get a grasp on just how many people gave four hours of service for a free concert, and to my delight, the show was packed! I imagined that there would be a large number of participants, but I was shocked to see how many people made it a family affair. As you all know, I am a child advocate, so I was little leery at the thought of a mature event being offered to so many kids, but again, to my delight, I was pleased to see how may artists aimed not only to please the youth at the concert, but had kids on stage adding to the effect of the show. The stage was set with Atlanta flair which included a giant Braves Chain lit up to signify all of Atlanta’s “bling”. The show kicked off to the sounds of DJ Drama, one of ATL’s hottest DJ’s, whose DJ repertoire includes the likes of T.I., while members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc gave a mini-step show; this was a definite great way to show kids collegiate opportunities. The concert quickly heated up when Atlanta Producer extraordinaire, Lil’ Jon took the stage not only to perform his hit single, Snap Your Fingers, but also to welcome hot local talent on the rise including: Grand Hustle’s Big Kuntry, Young Dro, and Yola The Great, who performed his hit, Ain’t Gon’ Let Up, which is taking over Atlanta airways right now. With all of these performances, the show may already seem like it’s too hot to handle, but this was just the beginning, host Nick Cannon then came out to introduce Houston’s own Paul Wall, who later was joined on stage by Houston native Slim Thug to perform hits off of their individual solo projects, as well as perform guest appearances on songs like Check On It, with Beyonce Knowles and Grillz with Nelly. The star-studded event then moved from the south all the way out west with a lyrically captivating performance by The Game. While The Game tried so hard to keep the show a clean, kid friendly show, he couldn’t help let off a little steam still brewing for rival group G-Unit, often times referring to them as G-UNOT. Nonetheless,
The Game still came with his rap game in hand, smashing infamous tracks like, This Is How We Do, and Dream. The celebs then took a halt to pay tribute to a hip hop veteran that died in the rap struggle, Tupac Shakur, who would have celebrated his 35th birthday on the day of the show. Shakur’s mother took the stage to thank all of Tupac’s loyal fans or their continuous support; she even referred to us as “Tupac’s posse”. After the tribute Nick Cannon took the stage with Drumline co-star Jason Weaver and music mogul Jermaine Dupri to introduce a video clip showing some of the Atlanta community service sites, which was concluded by a thank you by Usher. Usher was unable to attend the event, but wanted to let everyone know how much of a difference this experience made; he also introduced Keisha Cole, who took the stage performing hits songs off her solo CD. Cole got off to a rocky start with microphone and music malfunctions, but ended up with a crowd full of ladies helping her belt lyrics to her hit, Love. After Keisha Cole, the crowd was ever-so-ready for Young Jeezy to take the stage, who wooed the crowd with hip hop hits from his CD, as well as performed his spots on various remixes. It is clear to say that Young Jeezy is definitely an Atlanta favorite, and I guess being an Atlanta native doesn’t hurt either. Many thought that there was nothing left to see after the amazing performance by Jeezy, but those that left, left before dessert. Not only did, Big Boi and the Purple Ribbon All-Stars perform, a surprise performance by Lil’ Wayne rocked the community service givers, performing hits off both solo albums, as well as old school Hot Boyz hits. Big Boi was joined on stage by Bubba Sparxx and Sleepy Brown.
Anybody that’s anybody was at this concert, and I love the fact that no one could purchase a ticket. Service, Pride, Music, Respect was the theme chosen by Boost Mobile and Rock Corps, and what a well named theme! Participants gave the service, and should take pride in the service given. There was a music reward, and overall the event gave everyone a chance to show how much they respect their community and hip hop. Hopefully you gave your four hours and got your free ticket, I know I did! For those of you who missed this opportunity, Boost Mobile and Rock Corps will be offering this same deal in other major cities including, Chicago, Houston, Minneapolis, Washington D.C. Detroit, and New York. I urge everyone to be a part of this groundbreaking experience and remember, “YOU’VE GOT TO GIVE TO GET”.
