SpringFest artist is lackluster

Amber Matha, Opinion editor

I, for one, am disappointed by the selection of Mike Stud as 2017’s SpringFest artist.

First, how does one go from a successful Duke University baseball player to a “hip-hop” artist that has a sound like a love child between Lil Wayne and Drake?

Second, changing his last name to Stud as his stage name just sounds really gimmicky.  Hopefully he can distract me from his music by being the eye candy that his stage name promises he is.

I enjoyed last year’s performance by Cassio Monroe, Daya and MKTO.  I knew of Daya and MKTO and at least a couple of their songs.  Cassio Monroe even made it entertaining because they played a couple of covers that people could sing along to even though they, as a band, were generally unknown.

This year, I have never heard of Mike Stud or Luke Christopher.  I know the goal of the selection is to pick an up-and-coming artist.  This not only saves money but then we can boast like hipsters because these artists visited here before they were “cool.”

But Mike Stud and Luke Christopher, as far as I’m aware, are nowhere close to “cool.”  Other than a small handful of people really into the hip-hop scene, many students I talked to have never heard of these two individuals.

I have no problem with the genre.  I sincerely enjoyed myself at the T-Pain show.  The difference was the simple fact that I knew the artist performing in front of me.

With subject matter ranging from getting drunk, high, and having promiscuous relations with women, it is difficult to find a song by him that I feel is appropriate for him to perform at this school.

I am not sure if he is going to censor the songs or rap right through them.  I suspect his opener, Luke Christopher, is going to have the same problems.

I have listened to various songs recorded by Stud and I have not found a single song that is completely clean.

I must admit I do like the message behind his song, “Closer,” which basically is a message to all of the people who doubted him.  It spoke to me because I am someone who is doubting him and maybe he will surprise me by giving a stellar performance that Mercyhurst can look back on and be proud of.

In the Feb. 22 edition of The Merciad, Gabrielle McGrogan was quoted saying that events hosted by Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) are planned with the Sisters of Mercy in mind.

“We could have any of the sisters come in during any of our events and we don’t want anything that is going to offend them. We just think that they could stop by at anytime, so we think about that for every event. We are even cognizant of that for Springfest,” McGrogan said.

I do not believe that the Sisters of Mercy would be pleased with this years SpringFest artist, and I do not think they would be comfortable coming to his performance.