North Central College welcomes American hip-hop artist Hoodie Allen in concert May 18 with opening acts Outasight and The Ready Set.
The performance begins at 9PM Saturday, May 18, in North Central’s Residence Hall/Recreation Center, 440 S. Brainard St. Tickets are $20; call (630) 637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix. The concert is presented by North Central College’s Fine and Performing Arts, College Union Activities Board (CUAB) and Office of Alumni Relations.
Hoodie Allen, the stage name for independent artist Steven Markowitz, has performed sold-out concerts in popular venues including House of Blues in Cleveland and New York City’s largest nightclub, Webster Hall. More than 3,500 people filled New York’s Roseland Ballroom April 13 to watch the rapper conclude his Cruisin’ USA Tour.
A former Google employee, Hoodie Allen left his desk job to pursue a career in music. His high-energy raps, including the hits “No Interruption” and “No Faith in Brooklyn,” quickly gained popularity among teenagers and young adults. Allen’s album EP “All American” debuted at No. 1 on iTunes last year, landed a top-10 spot on the Billboard charts and was featured on Billboard’s popular hip-hop column The Juice.
With more than 200,000 Twitter followers, 44 million viewers of his YouTube channel and a weekly live-stream video chat, Hoodie Allen is quickly gaining popularity among fans online. Famous for his closeness to fans, the rapper promised to personally call anyone who purchased his “All American” album and signed up within a certain time frame; he is still working on the list of more than 30,000 fans.
Opening acts for Hoodie Allen’s performance are Outasight and The Ready Set. Hip-hop performer Outasight, the stage name for artist Richard Andrew, is known for his hit “Tonight is the Night,” which debuted on “The X Factor” TV show and was certified platinum a few months later. Jordan Mark Witzigreuter, known by his stage name The Ready Set, has toured with popular bands The All-American Rejects and Boys Like Girls. The pop singer’s party-anthem repertoire includes the hits “Love Like Woe” and “Give Me Your Hand (Best Song Ever).”
This event is part of Cornerstone Week, an annual celebration marking North Central College’s 1870 move to Naperville from Plainfield and the laying of the cornerstone for Old Main. This year’s celebration coincides with the inauguration of Dr. Troy D. Hammond as the College’s 10th president.
