Written Erin Martin, Staff Writer

VSU had their spring 2016 concert this past Thursday, where rapper 2 Chainz and various artists performed at the “Party At The Plex”. The concert brought together both students and the community for a fun night hosted by Hot 107.9 The Beat.

Atlanta native 2 Chainz performed some of his most famous songs like “Riot,” “No Lie,” and “Birthday Song,” including newer songs from his latest album entitled “ColleGrove.” Students enjoyed a fun and intimate environment on the arena floor, and in the seats surrounding the stage. When the doors opened at 5:00, the audience came out to mingle, dance, and enjoy music by 107.9’s DJ Big Twin.

Before 2 Chainz hit the stage, some of VSU’s very own students were given the opportunity to showcase their talents. Matt Jay, EAZ, Mikey Spiffy, Dee Jay and Corey Andrews were just a few of the students who opened up the show with their completely original content. MAG Dance also entertained the crowd alongside rapper Mikey Spiffy while he performed his first single “Lavish.”

2 Chainz brought with him to open up, Atlanta music group KontraBand Musik. The three man electronic and pop group preformed a few songs including their original music, and covered songs of some artists like The Weeknd.

Rapper Matthew Francis better known by his stage name Matt Jay felt that watching both 2 Chainz and fellow students perform made his concert experience amazing.

“Allowing student musicians to perform at the spring concert serves as another incentive for them to foster their crafts.” said Francis, senior biology major. “Hopefully, we can even start to see a more diverse group of students taking advantage of these opportunities.”

Shannon Easley, also known as EAZ, who preformed his single “Y’all Ain’t” on Friday also talked about his experience at the concert.

“DJ’ing and performing was a last minute decision but a blessing nonetheless”, said EAZ, senior communications major. “For our next concert, I think that VSU should allow the artists serious about their craft to perform. Performing at an event like that is a privilege, it shouldn’t be handed out. All music matters though, it’s just about the respect for the craft.”

“The concert itself was a lot of fun, and it was refreshing to see such a diverse audience. 2 Chainz was a great choice because he caters to a wide variety of our students,” said D’Yasmine Richards, senior, communications major. “I also think that it was big for administration to let our students perform too. It probably made ticket sales increase.”