St. Louis native and former boxer, Jibbs, approached Team 31 with a bid to open WILD in late April, as confirmed by Team 31 co-chairs sophomore Randy Lubin and junior Pehr Hovey.
The co-chairs said that the spring show’s headliner has already been secured, but declined further comment as to the specific artist. According to Hovey and Lubin, contracts with the opening bands will not be signed until March.
Mike Kociela, managing director of Entertainment St. Louis, a third party contractor for Team 31, independently confirmed Jibbs’ bid, citing the rapper’s interest in “building a connection with the local college market.”
Entertainment St. Louis has aided Team 31 in booking and producing the annual shows for the past five years.
“Jibbs’ management approached me looking for college dates. I suggested Wash. U. and they were interested,” said Kociela.
While Kociela placed the odds of Jibbs’ Wash. U. performance at 50 percent, he stated that Jibbs’ offer was low compared to other openers. “He shot us a very reasonable price,” agreed Lubin, who added that “for such a low price, there is no real downside.”
Jibbs gained popularity after adapting the nursery rhyme “Do Your Ears Hang Low” into the hit song “Chain Hang Low.”
The rapper, who is 16, began rapping at age eight after he caught the attention of his older brother, DJ Beats. Like Will Smith, Jibbs does not cuss in his songs.
In August 2006, “Chain Hang Low” became the most popular rap download on iTunes. Jibbs’ debut album, Jibbs Featuring Jibbs, was released in October of that year.