Rapping for a good cause

Many IU students have grown up listening to DMX, and now they will get a chance to see the rapper perform in person, along with DJ AM, during this year’s Little 500.\nThe artists will perform a charity concert organized by the Lambda Chi Alpha and Delta Upsilon fraternities to benefit Children Uniting Nations at 6:30 p.m. April 9. The concert will be at the Lambda Chi Alpha house at 1210 E. Third St. \n“It’s a big philanthropy event that we’re doing,” said senior Kevin Hoiseth, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha who also runs A-List Entertainment Group, which helped organize the event.\nTickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.DMXtickets.com. Fraternity members will sell tickets outside Ballantine Hall daily until they sell out.\n“Ticket sales have been going crazy right now,” Hoiseth said. “This concert’s definitely going to sell out.”\nDMX has been a well-known name to rap fans for more than a decade, as his multi-platinum-selling status, Grammy nomination and five No. 1 Billboard albums show\n“I’ve grown up with DMX,” Hoiseth said. “I think we all have.”\nAlong with old favorites, DMX will also perform songs from his new album, “Walk With Me Now and You’ll Fly With Me Later,” which is expected to come out later this year.\nDJ AM, whose career name comes from his given first and middle names (Adam Michael), has appeared as himself on shows like “The Simple Life,” “Entourage” and “Punk’d.” \n“It should be a really wild performance,” Hoiseth said, “not just your everyday rapper coming up and doing a couple of songs.”\nSophomore Sami Silverstein said she plans to attend the concert. \n“I’m going because I like to support greek life at Indiana,” she said. \nBased in Los Angeles, Children Uniting Nations was created to draw attention to the plight of at-risk young people and foster children. The organization provides role-model support and guidance and tries to encourage a sense of community and promote the importance of education, according to its Web site.\nHoiseth said in an e-mail that the organizers have done everything possible to ensure the show will happen, regardless of weather and DMX’s reputation.\n“Some people are skeptical about DMX actually showing up as he has a bad rep for missing some events,” Hoiseth said. “We have gone through extensive lengths to make sure that all steps were taken in order to guarantee his performance on April 9. We are actually also flying him into Bloomington a day early just to make sure.”\nJunior Adam Williams said he has no concerns about the performer’s reliability and said he is excited to hear the new songs that will be on DMX’s forthcoming album.\n“I’ve been a fan of him for years,” he said. \nOther performances for the world’s greatest college weekend include Feist at the IU Auditorium on April 11 and the Ying Yang Twins at Phi Kappa Sigma April 9.