A simple glance at past headliners of the Little 500 concerts will make it painfully clear to the Hoosier audience: rap artists have continuously dominated the stage.
Seattle-based singer/songwriter Perfume Genius would be a highly unlikely candidate for the job.
However, given the chance, Perfume Genius could amaze and unite Hoosier students in an entirely new way with its musical performance at next year’s Little 500 concert.
The dominating call for mainstream rap from the student population would likely overwhelm any other viable option, regardless of how well such an artist or band might represent the sort of thinking that takes place here at IU.
Beyond the desire to hear a great bass line or impressive lyrics, why do we continue to be drawn to rap artists?
At its core, I believe this stems from the relevancy of many rappers’ lives in relation to our own.
Often victims of injustice and oppression from the moment they are born, rappers give a poetic voice to virtually every social issue effecting our modern world.
In this way, the rappers we so dearly love are champions for the underdog, and they instill within us the belief that we all can improve our lives in some way and make a difference in our world despite how the cards are stacked against us.
Mike Hadreas, the sole mind and voice behind Perfume Genius, could convey this sense of empowerment in a ?fascinatingly new way.
If my thoughts on the student body’s deeper feelings are correct, Perfume Genius could bring a new form of representation and empowerment to the Union Board stage, with tracks that run the gamut from hypnotic to ?heartbreaking,
Hadreas tells the story of life as an effeminate queer man living in a world determined to shut him out.
His luscious, lo-fi sounds back lyrics that seem to inspire, enrage and whisper ?simultaneously.
Perfume Genius calls attention to the various forms of torture our society inflicts upon those it deems “different,” while also speaking out beautifully about universal human experiences such as loss and desire.
While his artistic style, topics and appearance may not appear to be a good fit for what the student body wants from the Little 500 concert, Perfume Genius could speak on behalf of the voices even our progressive environment tends to stifle.
sjdickma@indiana.edu
