But wait, there's more! When I first heard about Last Day of Classes freshman year, I thought it had lots of potential. A major artist performing on Main West, on the last day we would have to sit in a classroom till next August? Pass me a beer and let's rock. Every February we got excited over a list of potential acts, from Outkast to 311. But the day had never truly lived up to the hype. Freshman year we got an old Run-DMC and Guster. Even if I did care, it would have sucked, as the weather moved it inside to Page, which fits less than 25 percent of the undergrad population, not to mention grad schools and the surrounding Durham community. Sophomore year we got The Roots, who were ill, but that was 4 months before Phrenology, and they ended with 20 minutes of rock covers, as if to appease the kids who showed up not knowing a damn song. Last year may have been the biggest disgrace in my opinion, as a top notch school like Duke got a lame-ass Wilco and Better Than Ezra, which was only better than no one.
So when Mark Pike announced Kanye West, I was impressed. Let me tell you something: I don't know Mark that well, but I do know this kid had a plan from the day he stepped on campus. From our freshman writing seminar, I could tell Pike was someone who saw the potential in Duke. So senior year, he went out and got that marquee name that we deserved. And opening, Dilated Peoples? I couldn't believe it.
For weeks I had promoted Kanyeeze as going to be off the hook. I tried overcoming the hip-hop bias that is prevalent on this campus. Most people, when told about Kanye, responded, "I don't really listen to that music." But people, I would say, what about the Drop-Out Bear, his equivalent of the Blue Devil Mascot? I compared him to Outkast in how creative and unique his style was. I even figured he would rock with Dilated on "This Way," that song from the Volvo commercial.
Since we go to Duke, and nothing can ever be perfect, I wasn't surprised when Dilated Peoples didn't show up. Two sick hip-hop artists, performing on my last Last Day of Classes? Couldn't happen. But as long as I had Kanye, it would be all good.
Just a few things to make clear before I move on: Last Day of Classes is always substance influenced, and this year was no different. So if some of what I say sounds a bit out there, read this again when you are a bit more tipsy.
After several Rocafella Records up-and-coming artists my man Kanye came out in style, and despite no Drop-Out Bear, I could tell we were in for a great time. Kanye is the closest to an incarnation of Duke University if Duke was a Hip-hop artist. He got up there all decked in that suit (just to be like you ain't up on this), as if he was straight business, (the engineer/gothic reading room living portion of Duke). Yet he had his Rocafella chain on and kept throwing the Dynasty sign (no girls, he wasn't representing Tri Delt), and you could tell he was having a great time on stage from beginning to end. Just like the half, (ok maybe 25 percent) of this campus that knows how to party, have a good time, and balance work with play. And the best part of all? My man is a college drop-out. It was as if this concert was symbolic, or at least that's what the alcohol was telling me.
With just one album released, I was interested to see how Kanye would fill his set. Not many people realize that he is the mastermind (producer) behind many of the biggest songs in the past few years. Yet West managed to drop the beats he created without it sounding fake, or boring. Quick story: When Kanye asked Ludacris to do the hook on a song for his album, Ludacris asked for three beats in return. One of those ended up being "Stand Up", Luda's biggest hit. Yet I had a better time watching Kanye perform "Stand Up" than I did Luda in Cameron. Even Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name," a song I turn off every time it's on the radio, was entertaining once Kanye added his showmanship to it.
Then he came with the hits. "Slow Jamz", which most people probably didn't even realize was Kayne, and "Thru The Wire", Kayne's story of his horrific car accident set over a sped up Chaka Khan song. That song alone is evidence of how fitting he was for Duke University. In the same song he drops a "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" reference, promotes seat belt safety, compares his post accident face to Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky and brags about being on Jay-Z's record label, all while emphasizing fighting through struggle and not giving up. Once again--part spiritual, part bling-bling.
So Kanye steps off stage, and in several seconds has everyone's full attention. What does he return with? "Jesus Walks." May have been the most impressive performance move by an artist I have ever seen, and that's coming from a Jew who has been to many concerts. A major hip-hop artist, and here he is attempting to raise faith and "convert atheists into believers." Kanye fully knows that his topic of choice isn't one that plays well on the airwaves (unless Jesus walked on water in his Air-Force Ones, or can turn water into 22's). But it's not about the money. Well, not completely. It's about the music, the cause, and that's a message that many at Duke could learn from.
Most of the concert after that was a blur, but I know I loved it. One part in particular, however, sticks out strongly. Second to last song, the aptly named "Family Business", and it was almost out of a movie. If Duke was ever going to be a close knit community, this was it. A song chill enough that even the Betas could feel it. I was waiting for everyone to clap in unison, a sort of bonding, as Kanye's DJ scratched "All That Glitters Is Not Gold." But like everything else I have experienced in my 4 years here, nothing at Duke ends ideally. It just burns out and ends. Our campus showed it's apathy, and soon that fleeting moment was gone, and with it went my Duke career. Yes, the show ended early, but I know I got all that I asked for.
Okay, maybe I was under the influence. But I really believe that Kanye West was meant to perform on our campus. Duke isn't entirely the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll party school that we envisioned after watching Animal House, but it doesn't have to be the straight edge, collared shirt institutions of the Ivy League. Kanye is the same way. He raps about money hos and rims, like a state school, if only to gain a wider audience for his social conscious messages of Ivy League caliber. Duke doesn't need to be Yale. It could be Kanye, and that would be fine by me.
Tal Hirshberg is a Trinity senior.
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