Dear Editor,

It should be difficult to criticize something you didn’t actually participate in, which is what Randy Brachman does in his column, “Wash. U. Gone W.I.L.D.” (Oct. 15). Apparently this doesn’t hold true for Team 31’s fall W.I.L.D. concert two weekends ago. It seems as though the most vocal critics of the production didn’t actually participate…aside from hearing that the free Chipotle had run out…and hearing that the concert itself wasn’t that great.

More appalling than making such a harsh judgment based on the “general consensus” of others may be the judgment that “rap…is not really something you can immediately get into.” Sure, rap music isn’t for everyone. No genre of music is pleasant to everyone. But Team 31 has (over the years) done a remarkable job of bringing musicians to campus that will please a variety of tastes. One should refrain from judging music based on the perceived popularity of a musician or group. I have yet to hear of a correlation between presence of pages and concert performance.

Team 31 did, in fact, bring to campus two of the most popular rappers of today. As far as I know, those familiar with the genre appreciated Team 31’s efforts. Those unfamiliar with this particular genre of music had an opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones, experience something different and witness why these musicians are appreciated for their contributions to the music community. Choosing not to take advantage of that opportunity does not amount to a bad W.I.L.D. in any sense. It simply represents a sense of narrow-mindedness that many campus organizations, including Team 31, are attempting to erode.

Monica Smith
Class of 2011

After leaving what I thought was a spectacular concert two Saturday nights ago, I couldn’t help but brag to my friends at other schools about not only W.I.L.D. in general, but especially our latest concert. Team 31 managed to bring in performers who were both well-known and critically-acclaimed. So you can imagine my surprise upon learning that Student Life’s Randy Brachman disapproved of nearly every aspect of the concert.

In his column, “Wash. U. Gone W.I.L.D,” (Oct. 15) Brachman says, “Now, correct me if I’m wrong about this, but I don’t think there were any big names here either.” That’s easy enough. Talib Kweli, in terms of modern hip-hop, is one of the most respected artists alive. Last week Student Life did a profile on Kweli (which I assume Brachman failed to read) that discussed his current stature and importance in the world of hip-hop. If Brachman was not hoping for a widely-acclaimed artist like Kweli, and instead for a chart-topping artist whose songs constantly fill radio airwaves, he had to look no further than David Banner. Banner’s latest album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard charts, and he has had numerous hit singles over the past five years.

I am personally unsure about Brachman’s claims that the Chipotle burritos ran out earlier than expected. I was there to listen to the music as opposed to eat a burrito that I could get any day after a 15-minute walk to the Loop. But, as Brachman says, that’s not really important to the story.

Brachman later takes the liberty of assessing a concert that he admittedly left after the opening act. He missed both Kid Sister (whose concert, although sparsely attended, was widely enjoyed by all spectators) and Little Brother, an indie hip-hop act whose performance was widely cited as one of the shining moments of this year’s W.I.L.D. Little Brother was followed by Banner, whose electrifying concert involved numerous stage dives, a student pulled onto the stage, and raucous cheering from a well-entertained crowd. Next on was Kweli, who sang songs off of his recent album as well as older crowd-favorites that had the crowd rapping along with him. The concert didn’t even stop there, as Little Brother, Banner and Kweli all retook the stage for an unscheduled 20-minute encore that involved freestyles and reinterpretations of old hip-hop classics. I’m pretty sure that even someone like Brachman, who admittedly is not a hip-hop fan, could’ve found something in that final performance to like.

As if passing judgment on a concert he failed to see was not enough, Brachman goes on to suggest that we get a band like R.E.M. or the Arctic Monkeys to play at the next W.I.L.D. These are both bands that have headlined major music festivals, and with no offense intended to Team 31, we do not have near the sort of budget necessary for acts of that stature. In fact, getting Talib Kweli and David Banner was seen as somewhat of a coup (and the first nearly complaint-free W.I.L.D. choice in a while), as noted in a previous Student Life article. Along those lines, acts like the two Brachman suggests are completely unrealistic. However, he then changes his tune and requests “an indie rock band that no one has ever heard of.” How would that be any better than rap acts that he claims no one has ever heard of? I am personally a fan of indie rock, but if Brachman is looking for big name performers (as he stated earlier in the article), switching from rap to indie rock is certainly not the way to go.

To top it all off, Brachman suggests that we “get some instruments and musicianship back on that stage.” This comment is simply insulting to the Rhythm and Roots All-Stars, who played as a backup group for the three final artists of the show and whose performance was praised by every musician with whom I have discussed the show. However, I guess it’s hard to witness a great performance by a band that consists of drums, horns, guitars, bass, steel pans, other percussion instruments and vocalists when you’re back in your dorm during their set like Brachman was.

I hope that Brachman gets his wish and that all subsequent W.I.L.D.s are head and shoulders above this previous one, because that would mean that Wash. U. would be able to witness a multitude of incredible concerts. However, given the success achieved by Team 31 and the acts featured in the latest installment, topping Fall W.I.L.D. 2008 will prove to be a tough feat.

Well, I wouldn’t know. Let me tell you why.

Before it was announced who was performing at W.I.L.D., I had never heard of Kweli or David Banner or Kid Sister. Nite Owl was a superhero in Alan Moore’s “Watchmen.” You could say rap isn’t my thing. That’d be an oversimplification, but it’s true enough.
I’m going to talk about music for a little bit now. W.I.L.D. was a five-hour event, musically. Those five hours consisted entirely of rap, a genre of music, which while more approachable than Swedish heavy metal opera, is not really something you can immediately get into. Now, correct me if I’m wrong about this, but I don’t think there were any big names here either. Nite Owl doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page.

But still, I decided to participate and have a good time. I mean, it’s not every day you get to see a free concert, is it? And free food is always good.

So I left with some friends at about 4:05 to go over to Brookings Quad. Bolstered by rumors of free Chipotle until 5:30 or whenever they ran out, we meandered to campus. At 4:15, I saw people from my floor leaving without any food. They told me that the free Chipotle had already run out.

This does not make sense to me. If you’re planning on serving food until 5:30, wouldn’t it make sense to have enough food to last until then? Or even enough food to last more than one-sixth of that time? Granted, I don’t really know any of these details for sure. Maybe there was no free Chipotle. Maybe the plan was for it to end before the concert started at 4:30. Maybe they didn’t really run out at 4:15…(We never checked because we were told they were out; instead, we walked in and we lay down.) And it’s not like W.I.L.D. has never been put on before; Team 31 knew about how many people would be there, when they would get there and pretty much everything they’d need to know in order to correctly gauge the amount of food they’d need. But the lack of burritos is not really all that important to the story.

So we get to W.I.L.D., and the first act comes on. All I can say about Nite Owl is that there is a reason he’s not popular enough for a Wikipedia page. We left.

A while later, we came back. I got free pizza and then went to the bathroom. When I got out, I saw a friend of mine who was having some trouble, so I helped get him back to the dorm, and then I stayed in the rest of the night. I figured I wasn’t missing anything. In talking with people who were at W.I.L.D. for the whole time, the general consensus seems to be that I figured correctly.

Now, I’m not saying Team 31 needs to bring in The Who or The Rolling Stones for the spring (although if they did, it would be the greatest W.I.L.D. ever), but can’t they get R.E.M. to come back? Or how about the Arctic Monkeys? Maybe some indie rock band no one’s ever heard of? That certainly would keep with the “no one’s ever heard of our acts” theme that was established this year.

Or even The Romantics. They came once before; what’s to say they wouldn’t again? Come to think of it, I think I’d probably be happy with any band, as long as it is actually a band. Let’s get some instruments and musicianship back on that stage.

And this year’s fall W.I.L.D. performance on Saturday may have been the most successful production yet, according to officials with Team 31 Productions.

“It went as smoothly as I could have hoped for, probably the smoothest we’ve ever seen,” said junior and Team 31 co-chair Jordan Roberts.

“I think it was amazing,” junior Dione Drew, also a Team 31 co-chair, said. “Of the five W.I.L.D.s I have been involved in, this was the smoothest one.”

All the components of the fall W.I.L.D. production—including the performances, the vibe from the crowd, stage management and lighting—operated and synchronized excellently, according to Roberts.

According to Drew, in part because of the many giveaways such as Chipotle burritos and Sony headphones, more students than ever arrived early to see the show’s opening.

A few days before W.I.L.D., Team 31 sent an e-mail to all Washington University students encouraging them to come to the show early for free giveaways.

“We picked up a sponsor this time. They were sponsoring the tours. That’s why we had the free headphones and shades,” Roberts said. “It definitely got people there earlier than usual. The food also went a lot faster than we expected, maybe within an hour or so.”

According to Roberts, roughly 3,500 to 4,000 students attended this fall’s W.I.L.D. Team 31 also sold 260 guest tickets—150 more than the number of tickets sold for last semester’s W.I.L.D., which was headlined by George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars.

Good weather on Saturday was partially responsible for the success of this W.I.L.D. Last spring’s performance was dampened by scattered thunderstorms and chilly temperatures.

“I’ve been here two and a half years, and I know that the weather does play a huge factor, largely because it’s an outdoor concert,” Roberts said. “This time, the weather was great and there were tons of people there.”

This fall’s line-up, featuring hip-hop artists Talib Kweli, David Banner, Kid Sister, Little Brother and Nite Owl, also drew an excited and considerable crowd to the Brookings Quad.

“Each one of the acts has a nice-size following here, so the people who really liked the acts ranged from just being stunned and in awe that their favorite artist was here to just bouncing off the walls,” Drew said.

Roberts also said that, having heard no significant complaints about the scheduled performers, many students were excited about this semester’s hip-hop line-up.

“For some people, they were definitely more excited [about the hip-hop line-up],” Roberts said. “But, from what I heard, a lot of people also had not heard of the bands before.”

Those students, however, were certainly not disappointed.

“I thought that it was really fun. They were all good performers,” sophomore Billy Koury, whose favorite performer on Saturday was David Banner, said. “I was surprised.”

“He had really good stage presence and got a lot of people involved,” Koury said.

Roberts, whose favorite performer was also David Banner, said, “I think he surprised a lot of people. He put on a great show, and he was running past the crowd, pulling people on stage. He is known for having pretty high energy.”

David Banner, Talib Kweli and Little Brother all took part in an improvised performance during the last 20 minutes of the show.

“I thought [the performers] were highly energetic, and the students seemed to enjoy them a lot, especially when the top three performers came out on the stage together,” Drew said.

According to Roberts, some students even had the opportunity to meet David Banner in person after the show.

“David Banner just hung out until 12:30 [a.m.] or so. He was talking to some students, so he was pretty accessible to everyone there,” Roberts said. “I think WUTV interviewed him and Little Brother too.”

With additional reporting by Perry Stein

First things first: pronunciation. The name is TAH-lihb QUA-lee. A notably “socially-conscious” rapper hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Kweli began bending the minds of the public with his lyrics in mix tapes in the 1990s. He gained notoriety in his collaboration with Mos Def on the album “Black Star” in 1998 but released his first solo album, “Quality,” in 2002, followed by “The Beautiful Struggle” in 2002 and “Eardrum” in 2007. He has collaborated with such big names as Dave Chappelle, Kanye West, Jean Grae and even Ben Kweller. We have the incredible honor of welcoming this lyrical genius to the Wash. U. campus this weekend.

What is dubbed rap and hip-hop music can get a bad rap: much of the genre that we see in the mainstream is criticized as shallow, empty and materialistic. Admittedly, I agree with most of these criticisms. But what I love about rap is that it makes people nervous: With its crude language, street-smart and unrelenting vocals and controversial themes ranging from angry expressions of social anxieties to X-rated sexual innuendo, all backed by an often jarringly jittery beat, the music attacks the listener. Talib Kweli exemplifies that sonic assault by actually saying something pertinent, but also keeps with the party atmosphere in his beats.

Sadly, most people experience only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to rap and hip-hop. Commercial radio is dominated by tunes that are undoubtedly catchy, danceable and fun, but usually deliver a less than substantive message (not that “Superman that ho” isn’t totally useful).

After Tupac and Biggie died, rap lost its power; it used to focus on beats, music and the overall style of dancing and rhythm rather than the pimp/gangsta/swagga and bling-bling of our era. What’s great about TK is that, like partners The Game, Kanye West and Common, he flexes his lyrical muscle to reflect the issues surrounding us. His music makes people stick their hands in the air like they just don’t care—and think at the same time.

That said, he absolutely has the admiration of his “brother” Jay-Z, as on “The Black Album” he gives props to TK in a widely-known lyric: “If skills sold, truth be told/ I’d probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli.” Even to Jay-Z, if lyrical dexterity sold records, TK would be top of the charts.

So now that this musical maverick is coming to campus, what should we do to adequately prepare ourselves for the evening to come? If you aren’t already familiar with his music, listen up. He kicks proverbial ass with his first solo album, “Quality,” produced by a medley of artists including Kanye, Mos Def and The Roots. Though the themes throughout aren’t too cohesive, flawless lyrical quality is backed by wicked beats.

Of course, there’s “Get By,” his infamous party song (involving sex, weed and drinking) yet also emphasizing that “We keeping it gangsta say ‘fo shizzle’ ‘fo sheezy’ and ‘stayin’ crunk’/ It’s easy to pull a breezy, smoke trees and we stay drunk/ Yo our activism attackin’ the system, the blacks and Latins in prison/ Numbers of prison they victim black in the vision.” The track is produced by Kanye and is unquestionably catchy, referencing everything from Norman Mailer to The Beatles. “Waitin’ for the DJ” is also radio friendly, and “Guerilla Monsoon Rap” is smart but thuggish at the same time. Give the album a shot.

If you liked “Get By”, pick up “The Beautiful Struggle.” “I Try” featuring Mary J. Blige is definitely a song to hit. It has similar piano riffs and beats, and TK continues with his crazed rhymes. The album’s title track, “Beautiful Struggle,” is also wonderfully worthy of a head bob. “The revolution’s here…I heard it’s said the revolution won’t be televised/ But in the land of milk and honey there’s a date you gotta sell it by/ Otherwise it just expires and spoils.” He curses politics and laughs in the faces of those who identify the problems and do nothing about them. Sound familiar in this election season?

Lastly, I’ll suggest a couple of tracks to check out on his album “Eardrum,” which straddles the line between maintaining underground ties and giving into the business of music that is all about the Benjamins. Tune in to “NY Weather Report,” which will give you a detailed meteorologists’ report of how it feels to be brought up in New York.

No doubt the most “W.I.L.D.-ready” track on the album is “Hostile Gospel Part 1 (Deliver Us)”: it is practically the greatest club rap track to come out of the year 2007. He makes it impossible for you to tear your attention away from him. Toward the end, as he calls out different institutions on their flaws, he wants to “plead the fifth, can’t trust a soul in the biz.” Anyone with such disdain for systematic institutions definitely gains points in my book.

The point? Get pumped about W.I.L.D. We are in for a fantastically crafted performance, both musically and lyrically. Talib Kweli shows that you don’t need backup dancers and an entourage to be a great rapper. You need a quick enough mind to keep up with an even faster tongue, and a deep appreciation for those in whose footsteps you follow. He is bound to show us the way he does it and certainly gain our respect in the process.

“I’m excited that all people from campus can get together and celebrate,” senior Michael Tidey said. “Work has been really bad recently with midterms. It’s about time we decompress and relax.”

Student anticipation for W.I.L.D. has reached a new high this semester, according to juniors Jordan Roberts and Dione Drew, who serve as the co-chairs of Team 31.

Roberts attributed the excitement to the reputations that Kweli and David Banner have as live performers.

“I have heard from a number people that they are [more] excited about this lineup than they have been in previous years,” Roberts said.

Unlike previous years, Team 31 has heard few complaints about this year’s W.I.L.D. lineup, which includes Nite Owl and rap artist Kid Sister. The lineup will also feature Little Brother, David Banner and Talib Kweli, all backed up by the 10-person band Rhythm Roots All-Stars.

Preceded by Banner at 7:45 p.m., headliner Kweli is set to take stage at 8:40 p.m.

“This is one of the first semesters where there hasn’t been a huge backlash about who’s coming,” Drew said. “This is the first of my five W.I.L.D.s where it seems that if students are not incredibly excited about the lineup, then they are at least not unhappy.”

As of this morning, preparations on Brookings Quad are currently underway. There will be up to 200 student volunteers, or roadies, expected to help with setup.

Although it rained during last semesters’ W.I.L.D., which featured George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars, Drew said that it is not expected to rain for this semester’s show, but that Team 31 is considering alternate plans in case of inclement weather.

“The weather right now is sunny and 80 [degrees], so we are just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that stays, but we have some semblance of a rain plan in light of what happened last semester,” Drew said.

This W.I.L.D. will not experience any significant logistical changes from last year.

Similar to last semester, according to Drew, students at least 21-years-old can bring beer to W.I.L.D if they arrive at the quad by 6 p.m. Each eligible student can bring one six-pack case of beer, if the cans are 12 oz. or less.

Doors for W.I.L.D. open at 4:30 p.m., when the opening act Nite Owl is set to perform.

Roberts encourages students to arrive early this year.

“Get there and get there early. If people haven’t heard of her, Kid Sister is going to be high energy,” Roberts said. “Don’t be afraid to get there before 5:30.”

The first 1,000 people to arrive at the venue will receive free Sony EX earbuds courtesy of Sony, the concert tour’s sponsor. Additionally, free Chipotle burritos, barbeque food and 400 Kanye West-styled shutter shades will be available on a first come first serve basis.

Team 31 is also trying to promote early arrival through T-shirt sales. Sophomore Ross Festenstein, head of T-shirt sales, said that Team 31 is informing customers about the free giveaways that will be available at the beginning of the show.

Festenstein, who headed the T-shirt design team along with senior Aaron Sidorov and freshman Jim O’Boyle, said that there are four shirt designs available to purchase throughout campus.

“Every student can possibly find a T-shirt that appeals to him or her,” Festenstein said.

This year Team 31 sold two differently-designed American Apparel brand T-shirts for $15 and two different cotton T-shirts for $10. The two American Apparel shirts are hip-hop themed while the others are designed to appeal to more of a mainstream music audience.

The black shirt with a white outline of Talib Kweli has already sold out. Other designs include bunnies inspired by the bunny statue right outside Mallinckrodt Center and a drawing of Brookings Hall with headphones over the building.

“The whole idea is to make them on American Apparel shirts because they are very more environmentally friendly.” Festenstein said. “The Wash. U. bunny is one of the central figures of the school, and I wanted to get a modern twist.”

Festenstein said that they have ordered 600 shirts to sell and the shirts have been selling well so far.

Senior Steven Hollander purchased two Talib Kweli American Apparel shirts, one for him and one for his sister. He said the W.I.L.D. shirts are superior to those from previous years.

“I think [the shirts] are awesome, and the students who made them are extremely talented,” Hollander said. “I would say that these are classier and something that I could buy for my sister.”

In addition to starting the W.I.L.D. weekend today with Second Stage, a concert of student bands performing outside the DUC, for the first time ever, there will be a W.I.L.D. after-party in the Gargoyle.

Sponsored by LiveFeed, a St. Louis-based grassroots organization that is committed to promoting hunger awareness through the entertainment industry, entry into the Gargoyle will cost $5 and all profits will go to LiveFeed.

Opening W.I.L.D. act Nite Owl will be performing at the after party.

“I think [the after party] is a win-win if you want to keep on continuing being at a concert-type atmosphere and contribute to a great cause in the St. Louis community,” Roberts said.

As for now, Drew said that she would be preparing for the show until the doors open at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow and that everything was going according to schedule.

“I am keeping a list of everything that needs to be done the day of the show, so that way nothing gets forgotten, nothing slips through the cracks. At this point everything that needed to be done before the show is done,” Drew said.

With additional reporting by Johann Qua Hiansen

Kweli, best known for his song “Get By,” will be the second hip-hop artist in a row to perform at fall W.I.L.D., following Lupe Fiasco last year.

Also appearing at the show will be rappers Little Brother, David Banner and Kid Sister. Little Brother and Banner will be on tour with Kweli in October, along with The Rhythm Roots All-Stars, their backup ensemble.

The prospect of Kweli’s performing at Washington University attracted attention last year when 600 students joined a Facebook group entitled “GET TALIB KWELI TO WASHU FOR FREE.” Although the initiative did not succeed, Team 31 Co-chair Jordan Roberts said that the effort generated excitement around Kweli that led Team 31 to consider the artist as a possibility.

“There was a big push to get Talib to perform for free at Wash. U.,” Roberts, a junior, said. “He was one of the top people requested [for W.I.L.D.]. Students wanted him.”

Roberts added that another significant factor in Kweli’s selection was the logistics of the performance, which place limits on who can appear at W.I.L.D.

“[For] a lot of artists, their prices are way too high or they have another engagement or they’re recording or they’re not in the Midwest,” he said. “Usually we have 10 options and only one of those options works out.”

Though Kweli is the second rapper to highlight W.I.L.D. in three semesters, some involved in campus live-music performances noted the extent to which Kweli’s musical style differed from that of Lupe Fiasco.

“Talib Kweli is a great emcee,” sophomore Andrew Warshauer, a DJ on KWUR, said. “I like the way they’ve been doing the hip-hop this year. They had more mainstream rap last year. Talib Kweli represents a more alternative side.”

Roberts also appreciates Kweli’s potential to energize the student body.

“Talib’s a bit more experienced [than Lupe Fiasco],” Roberts said. “Lupe Fiasco is smooth and cool, and Talib goes after you and hits you hard. Talib is a better performer, and hopefully he’ll show that in October.”

Team 31 hopes that Kweli’s assertive style will serve to make the musical performance once again the focus of W.I.L.D., which Roberts says has shifted to drinking and partying earlier in the day, leading to students being too tired or drunk by time the concert starts to appreciate the acts.

“We need to get people more excited about the music aspect,” Roberts said. “Regardless of whether they make it [to the show] or not, they have a good time but tons of kids don’t make it or leave early. [We need to] let people know and get the word out about the opening [acts].”

Junior Dione Drew, Team 31 co-chair, also credited the University’s evolving alcohol policy for taking the focus of W.I.L.D. off alcoholism.

“It’s been lost in the last several years, but there’s always been a strong camp to get people to act more responsibly,” Drew said. “It’s not going to be overnight, but [less drinking] would definitely be something we would appreciate and look forward to in the future.”

While Roberts said that Team 31 can do little to influence the University’s alcohol policy, the group is looking forward to an increased publicity campaign leading up to the event that will aim to highlight the lesser-known opening acts and a local act that has yet to be determined.

Among the initiatives that Team 31 is working on are an updated Web site for the concert and the opportunity to play some of the openers’ songs in central campus areas during the week of the concert.

“In the past, [W.I.L.D] has been announced, people know the date and they show up,” Roberts said. “Hopefully some of those things will encourage people to listen to a song or two.”

A third factor in W.I.L.D.’s new publicity plan is that this is the first time that the concert will be sponsored. FloTV will be contributing to the event, with several other sponsors yet to be determined. Although nothing has been set up as of now, Team 31 expects the sponsors to hold events throughout the day of the concert to attract students.

Another advantage of sponsorship is the reduction in artists’ prices, allowing W.I.L.D. to save its money for its show next semester.

“You shouldn’t expect anything much more than in past semesters, but they’ll have a little more to spend than last semester,” Roberts said.

Though discussions for next semester have yet to start, Roberts expects a rock band to be the leading act, continuing the alternation between rap and rock arranged in past semesters. Either way, Roberts expects some on campus do disapprove of Team 31’s selection.

“It depends on timing, but I think they’re going to try to get a rock-inclined lineup,” Roberts said. “No matter who is playing, there’s always someone that isn’t pleased, and those people make the most noise about it.”

But Warshauer said that despite the criticism, the alternation between genres works well for students.

“Last semester was funkadelic but it was a great balance,” he said. ‘That’s one of the most unique things on campus. I don’t know other campuses that have two big festivals: one that’s catered toward hip-hop and one that’s catered toward music.”