The Memphis rappers rose to mainstream fame in 2006 when they won the Academy Award for Best Song for their track from the film "Hustle & Flow" (2005), titled "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp." The group made history as both the first black music group to take home a statue at the event, and the first hip-hop group to perform at the Awards.
The group was formed in 1991 by Paul "DJ Paul" Beauregard, Jordan "Juicy J" Houston and Ricky "Lord Infamous" Dunigan. In 1994, they recorded their first studio album, "Smoked Out, Loced Out," and gained a small but dedicated following. In recent years, the group has found worldwide fame, shifting its style from dark, hardcore rap to mainstream, southern rap. The group's 2005 album "Most Known Unknown" went double platinum.
PB considered changing the format of its termly concert series this Spring, seeking to book several small shows of a diverse group of artists from various genres, in lieu of one concert featuring a mainstream act, according to PB Concert Director Ann Elise DeBelina '10. In past terms, PB concerts have largely followed the latter format, but the group has recently moved towards the smaller concert format.
"While a big concert allows you to hit one or two genres per year, we wanted to diversify more to appeal to people whose tastes diverge from the mainstream," DeBelina said.
DeBelina also said that the change was raised for consideration "after a string of larger mainstream concerts that had lukewarm reception."
Vanessa Carlton, The Roots, Third Eye Blind and Maroon 5 have all performed at recent PB concerts.
A survey sent out to campus during Winter term that asked students to decide between the two formats, however, revealed that students preferred one concert with a high-profile artist. PB then decided to move forward with this format.
"Once we had the dates of the available venues we went to agents for artists in the area," DeBelina said. "We ended up with a list of eight to 10 artists."
DeBelina said that PB then asked a cross-section of students to select their preference from the list, which also included the groups OK Go and Sum 41.
The group will be performing in Alumni Hall. Student tickets will go on sale in the Collis Center beginning May 4.
