Council Should Have Chosen Another Artist As Headliner

To the editors:

I would like to know who of the Undergraduate Council was quoted in The Crimson calling hip hop artists Common, Twista, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Chingy, Kanye West and others “no name artists” (News, “Wyclef Voted Top Choice for Concert,” March 8). I was in utter shock when I read this article at lunch with fellow Adamoiselles, all of which were not black. I think the council may want to look for outside support for this hip hop initiative, because it quickly became clear to me that no one on the committee had any idea what they were talking about, much less debating. Mos Def is a world-renowned artist who recently starred in the blockbuster hit The Italian Job and who co-hosts the television show “Def Poetry Jam” with hip hop mogul Russell Simmons. Chingy, Twista, and Kanye West all currently have singles whose videos are on steady rotation on all of the MTV channels. Furthermore, I’m sure every single name on this “no name” list is as famous (if not more) than the council’s first semester band pick, Guster.

I do not mean to sound condescending in any way; I am merely writing to express how the Harvard community can help the council make decisions such as this. Couldn’t the council have had a poll on its website like it normally has for elections and movie nights? If it had taken that course of action, I’m pretty sure Wyclef Jean would not have received the popular vote (even though he is a good artist/producer) because there are other people on that list who would be considered much better performers than Wyclef Jean. I hope there is still time to either remedy this situation by rescinding Wyclef’s title of headliner—because I honestly feel that since so many of the artists that the council did not choose are famous in their own right, they will not agree to perform under Wyclef—or to choose someone else to headline. In choosing Wyclef the council may have also missed out on some excellent opportunities. For example, if they had chosen Kanye West they could have banked on Twista coming as well. The council needs to know what is actually happening in the world today.

Nenna Nwazota ’06

March 8, 2004