For the second consecutive year, Block Party will bring famous hip-hop acts to the Carrier Dome. But this year, they will spit hot fire.

Block Party 2004: The Return of Hip-Hop features Wyclef Jean, Talib Kweli, Bad Boy’s Da Band and Northern State and will be held Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The show is sponsored by University Union Concerts, Greek Unity Fest and the Division of Student Affairs, and tickets cost $5 for students and $20 for the general public.

This is the second year in a row that the event has been hip-hop themed. Block Party 2003 featured George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars with Rahzel. The hip-hop trend was not intentional, said Meryl Klemow, UU Concerts marketing and public relations representative.

‘In the future, they’re going to try to make it different,’ she said. ‘Maybe have an all-rock year. It just so happened that hip-hop was two years in a row.’

Wyclef Jean will headline the event. He originally came into the public spotlight as a member of now defunct rap group The Fugees, and he released his fourth solo album last year. Talib Kweli has recently risen in fame with his second release, 2002’s Quality. Kweli had previously been best known for his work with childhood friend Mos Def.

‘I’m going to see Talib Kweli and Wyclef,’ said Jocelyn Liz, a senior marketing major. ‘I want to hear both their old and new stuff.’

Northern State formed in 2000 and consists of three female rappers with a feminist flair. The six members of Da Band came together in July 2003 for MTV’s ‘Making the Band 2’ and released their first album, Too Hot for TV, in September.

Jason Wiley, Da Band’s road manager, said about 90 percent of the group’s shows have been at colleges. He said Da Band has gotten a great response from college audiences so far and that members look forward to performing at Syracuse University.

‘They’re excited to be there,’ Wiley said. ‘They’re always excited to see the fans and to get to be with the fans and talk to them.’

Klemow said she’s received mixed feedback from students about the show and that since it’s such a big event, some people are upset that their favorite artists aren’t coming to campus. She said a lot of the mixed reviews concerned Da Band.

‘Da Band is just a joke,’ Liz said. ‘People make fun of them and don’t respect them.’

Sponsors have been promoting the show heavily through free T-shirts, posters and paid advertising. Klemow said she’s seen a great response from this kind of guerilla marketing and that although some of the artists may not be the most famous faces, this concert is a great deal.

‘It’s a show that’s $5 for students. Where else are you going to find that?’ she asked. ‘It’s close and it’s cheap. All four acts are big on entertaining the audience and are really about getting people involved.’

Published on April 22, 2004 at 12:00 pm