Fatman Scoop to perform at Jake’s Nightclub on Saturday

Two-time Grammy award-winning artist Fatman Scoop will perform at Jake’s Nightclub’s White Party on Saturday.

Junior Joshua Zeke Thomas and senior Justin Cohen convinced Scoop, known nationally as “The Voice of the Club,” to come to Jake’s. Thomas met Scoop when he was an intern at the radio station Hot 97 in New York City.

Thomas and Cohen, both transfer students from George Washington University, have made a name for themselves through their DJ work and music promotion. Thomas, known as DJ Zeke, has provided music at such big-name events as P. Diddy’s White Party in the Hamptons and the Indianapolis 500 Fantasy Party. In Bloomington, DJ Zeke works every Saturday at Jake’s Nightclub.

“Coming down and now doing the Bloomington scene, we really turned Jake’s into the hot spot,” Thomas said. “You’re really getting the nightclub experience.”

Thomas said Thursday nights were the club’s best night, but since he began working at Jake’s, he and Cohen have turned Saturday nights into Jake’s biggest night, drawing an average of 650 people.

“Our Saturdays have kind of become one of the bigger draws in town,” said Dan Coleman, entertainment manager at Jake’s. “It’s one of the only dance clubs.”

When it came to choosing an artist to headline the White Party, Cohen said the nightclub wanted to maintain the club’s theme and therefore decided to get Scoop.

“The cool thing about Scoop is Zeke can be DJ-ing or I can be DJ-ing, and he can grab the mic and turn that song into a remix,” Cohen said.

The White Party promises to differentiate itself from the other concerts lined up, offering more of a club feel in a venue rather than an outdoor concert.

“This is not about who Fatman Scoop is,” Cohen said. “It’s about the experience.”
When it came to getting Scoop to agree to come to Bloomington, there were few hurdles.

“I basically was like, ‘Hey Scoop, we got this college weekend called Little 500, which is the biggest college weekend in the country.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, Zeke, whatever you need me to do,’” Thomas said.

Fatman Scoop, also known as Isaac Freeman III, won two Grammys in 2005 for best rap song and best short form music video for his work on the song “Lose Control,” which was done in collaboration with Ciara and Missy Elliot.

Scoop has performed with a variety of artists such as Timbaland, Chingy and Sean Paul. In addition to his musical endeavors, Scoop and his wife, Shanda, can be seen on MTV’s “Man and Wife” answering questions about love, sex and relationships.

“He finds it a great opportunity to get out here,” Cohen said about Scoop. “He’s really excited.”

Tickets to the White party are $15 and can be purchased at Jake’s Nightclub or from Cohen or Thomas.