MIT Concert Open to Summit

Participants in the upcoming Unite Against AIDS Summit at Harvard will now be able to attend MIT’s “Spring Fever” concert, featuring artists Fabolous and Lloyd Banks, under a deal announced yesterday by student organizers.

The summit, which runs from April 22 to April 23, will be hosted by the Harvard Black Men’s Forum (BMF), the Harvard AIDS Coalition, the Harvard African Students’ Association, and the Harvard Concert Commission.

Summit leaders expect about 1,000 attendees from colleges such as Howard University and Middlebury College, various high schools, student activist groups, and AIDS awareness groups, according to co-director Brandon M. Terry ’05. Terry said the target audience of the summit is youth, especially black youth because they are historically under-educated about HIV and AIDS.

“Spring Fever” was originally open only to students at Boston-area colleges, but under the new agreement, registered summit participants from any school will be able to attend. The concert will be held on the MIT campus on April 22, and tickets will cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

The featured artists, Lloyd Banks and Fabolous, are multi-platinum hip hop performers. Lloyd Banks, a member of 50 Cent’s G-Unit, has recorded such hits as “Stunt 101” and “On Fire,” while Fabolous has appeared on songs such as “You Can’t Deny It” and the remix of Jennifer Lopez’s single “Get Right.”

According to summit co-director and BMF President Kwame Owusu-Kesse ’06, organizers had originally planned to host a concert on campus but had trouble getting commitments from artists and finding a venue in time. After looking into other possibilities, the summit leaders were able to strike the partnership with the organizers of MIT’s concert.

“MIT’s concert coordinators welcomed us with open arms and supported us 100 percent,” Owusu-Kesse said. “I am extremely excited because not only is it a high-caliber hip hop concert, but working with MIT will also allow us to reach a broader audience.”

According to a press release, the summit will examine “the close bond between music and activism.” On April 23, the day after the “Spring Fever” concert, the summit will feature a panel discussion on the role of the media in raising awareness about HIV and AIDS.

Terry said hip hop “crosses the traditional boundaries of class and ethnicity.”

“Many times, it brings people together to hear a message they don’t usually hear,” Terry said. “We will use the excitement and passion generated by the concert for the summit events the next day.”

Owusu-Kesse said summit leaders are currently negotiating with MIT concert organizers for permission to hand out flyers about summit events at the concert.

The summit will focus on raising awareness about the AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, in the Caribbean, and among black Americans. The events will include a benefit dinner on April 22 and a conference with presentations and panel discussions all day on April 23. Owusu-Kesse said the weekend will conclude with a semi-formal dance on April 23.