It’s official. Busta Rhymes will make his way to the Pioneer Valley this spring.
An e-mail from University Productions and Concerts sent to the Massachusetts Daily Collegian yesterday, confirmed the rumors that Rhymes will be taking over the stage of the Mullins Center at this year’s Spring Concert, along with hip-hop powerhouse Jurassic 5. The concert will mark Busta’s ascension into the ranks of UMass Spring Concert performers.
Rhymes, who has made recent headlines thanks to assault charges filed on him by a Providence, R.I. woman, will headline the May 2 concert. The rapper recently received six months probation for the assault of a concertgoer in Fall River in December 2002, to which he pleaded no contest. The charges alleged that Celine Giguere reached out and touched the performer during his show and he then slammed her head into a table. In a statement Ryhmes read in court, the Flip Mode Squad leader claimed he only asked her to make sure she didn’t touch him again. Rhymes has also filed assault charges, against Giguere.
Despite the negative press, Busta seems to be doing alright for himself. He will also be headlining at Harvard University’s version of the Spring Concert, Springfest, in the weeks before his UMass appearance, stopping at Cambridge on April 23. According to the April 5 Harvard Crimson, “Busta Rhymes has accepted Harvard’s $40,000 bid to perform at this year’s Springfest.”
Joining Busta Ryhmes at Mullins will be Los Angeles-based hip-hoppers Jurassic 5. In their 11 years making music, Jurassic 5 have earned a place alongside the likes of The Roots, Mos Def and Talib Kweli in the hip-hop scene. As their second full-length album, “Power in Numbers,” gains momentum, Jurassic 5 have gained notoriety. Amherst is not the only college stop on the group’s current touring schedule; Jurassic 5 are also slated to play Providence’s Brown University before hitting the Mullins, as well as shows at the University of Montana and the University of Missouri after UMass’ Spring Concert.
The Spring Concert will be May 2 at the Mullins Center. Tickets are free for UMass students with a valid student ID.
– Meghan Healy
Information from thecrimson.com, salon.com and jurassic5.com was used in this article.
