When University Union announced that rapper 2 Chainz would be performing at Syracuse University for Block Party, it should have indicated there would be a risk he wouldn’t be able to show up at all.

On June 11 2013, officers arrested 2 Chainz after he was caught with codeine in Los Angeles. The artist was charged with a criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony in Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, about 10 months after the arrest, he pleaded not guilty to his charges, meaning he will have to return to court on May 5, for a preliminary hearing.

While UU may have booked the artist before his arrest, the organization should have let students know there was a possibility 2 Chainz would not be able to perform at Block Party on April 25 if he had been prohibited from leaving Los Angeles or imprisoned.

Between his arrest in June last year and UU’s announcement of 2 Chainz’s appearance in February, UU had eight months to become aware of the rapper’s criminal record. But during the two months in between UU’s announcement and 2 Chainz’s arraignment on Tuesday, UU did not release any information regarding whether or not he would still perform at Block Party.

With the many press releases, announcements and tweets UU sends out, UU should also be sending out notices when conflicts can potentially affect an artist’s availability. The last time UU was forced to cancel an act was in October, when SU Athletics pulled rapper Ace Hood just five days before he was set to perform at Orange Madness.

The last-minute cancellation upset a lot of students on campus, and UU should have learned from that experience. By letting students know well in advance there could be a possible cancellation of a performance due to an outside circumstance, UU can avoid disappointing many students.

With UU being a student-funded organization and Block Party one of the most anticipated concerts at SU, the organization owes it to students who purchase tickets to the event to inform them of whether they’ll be able to see all the listed acts.

For future acts potentially in jeopardy, UU should be more open with students by addressing the situation publicly.

Published on April 9, 2014 at 1:00 am