Last year, I was kind of harsh on the Carolina Union Activities Board.
It was from a place of love, and I feel justified in writing the column I wrote about Jubilee. I’m not a hater — I was just frustrated, and from what I found from my reporting, a lot of the student body was frustrated too. But I do realize that it probably made me some enemies, and I also think that’s fair.
But this year’s Jubilee has me feeling a different way. I deeply commend CUAB for this year’s Jubilee, especially for the way they handled it falling on the same day as the Final Four game.
I know CUAB got a lot of backlash for what many said was poor planning regarding Jubilee’s date. But after so much pressure to book a big-name artist not only from the DTH, but also from students in-person and on social media, how would they not jump on a chance to book someone that meets the requests of students: a well-known hip-hop artist.
It seems unfair to demand a big-name hip-hop artist and then to complain when it’s given to you. Given, I get the circumstances, but still.
CUAB has said multiple times that due to the availability of the artist and the venue, only April 1 and April 15 were possible Jubilee dates. It wouldn’t make sense to pass on an artist when you’re not even sure if we’re playing in a basketball game, no matter how big the game is.
But what I really love is that when UNC students started to get upset that they may(e) have to choose between Jubilee and the Final Four game, CUAB went out of their way to compromise.
A student organization literally asked a nationally-known rapper to only perform for an hour to make UNC students happy. And he said yes.
And then they invited him to their Final Four watch party, the event that is cutting his show down. You can @ me if you want, but you can’t tell me that’s not a baller move.
