Big Sean, A-Trak to headline Springfest

USC Concerts Committee has announced that rapper Big Sean, DJ A-Trak and the collaboration of Travis Barker (of Blink-182) and Mix Master Mike (of the Beastie Boys) will headline the Springfest music festival.

The annual musical festival, which is set to take place on April 6 on McCarthy Quad, features seven other acts and bands, including Walk the Moon and Capital Cities. The other acts were revealed in two teaser videos posted online this week.

Sean Michael Anderson, who performs under the stage name Big Sean, released his first studio album, Finally Famous, in 2011 to positive reviews. He has collaborated with many hip-hop artists, including Kanye West and Tyga.

Alain Macklovitch, who performs under the stage name A-Trak, is an award-winning Canadian DJ and turntablist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Kid Cudi to Swedish House Mafia. Many of his mixes have been featured in movies, including Project X.

Barker reached fame as a drummer in the rock band Blink-182 and released his first solo album, Give the Drummer Some, in 2011. In 2011, Barker teamed up with Michael Schwartz, aka Mix Master Mike, an award-winning DJ and turntablist who has won the DMC World Championships and rose to mainstream fame as a contributing member of acclaimed rap group the Beastie Boys.

The executive of Concerts Committee Bryan Leong said the committee put much consideration into the selection of the headliners.

“This year we wanted to go with something more diverse and cover all the main genres of music,” Leong said. “When we picked the headliners, we wanted to make sure we covered all these genres so that students will be able to experience and be exposed to different types of music. Big Sean brings in hip hop, Walk the Moon and Capital Cities represent the indie and Travis Barker and Mix Master Mike are two rock icons.”

The rest of the lineup for Springfest includes Faith Tucker, Mora Mora, Y Luv, Culprit, Papa and SB Babyy.

For the first time, Springfest will be held with the Black Student Assembly’s annual fashion festival and concert Gearfest, which currently features performers Rippy Austin and Rhyon Brown. The executive director of BSA Lamar Gary said they are expected to announce the headliners for Gearfest next week.

Program Board is anticipating the largest Springfest attendance to date because of the merge, according to a press release.

“We are turning Springfest into not just a festival, but a music and arts festival,” Leong said. “It’s amazing how Gearfest is going to bring a large daytime audience to Springfest. On top of that, since we’re going to save a lot on production costs by collaborating, Gearfest will have a much bigger musical headliner who hasn’t been announced yet.”

The two festivals, which will begin at 11:30 a.m., will feature student activities, such as a how-to-DJ tent and a vinyl painting booth. Food trucks will also be present on the quad.

Many students said they were excited for the headliners because the artists represented many genres.

“As someone who loves all types of music, I am impressed that they got such a wide range of big-name performers,” said Jackson Mandelkorn, a junior majoring in international relations. “Mix Master Mike is one of the greatest turntablists ever and is still performing long after The Beastie Boys are over. Big Sean is a big-name pop/rap artist and also one of the best rappers out there — he is on Kanye’s label right now. A-Trak is a giant name in EDM, and his label Fool’s Gold is huge.”

Though pleased with the Springfest headliners, other students said they felt the timing of the release dampened their anticipation.

“The lineup came out so late — granted, it takes a lot of time to plan, I’m sure, but a lot of people still don’t even know [Springfest is] next week,” said Neriah Yue, a sophomore majoring in international relations. “I think more people would be excited about it if the lineup was released earlier.”

The festival is free to students, faculty and staff and funding for the event comes from Program Board’s student-programming fees and sponsorships. Attendees must present university identification to enter the event. Because of the new security policies that went into effect in January, this is the first year the festival will be limited to USC students, faculty and staff.

But regardless of charge, some said the concert remains a staple for student life.

“I’m a senior and I’ve gone to Springfest every year,” said Nethika Ariyasinghe, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering. “It’s a really good program that USC puts on for us.”

 

Rebecca Dancer and Yasmeen Serhan contributed to this report.