Much like B.O.B. points out in his song, “Generation Lost,” I tire of hearing mediocre, stereotypical hip hop and lazy pop on the radio. Enough with the Lil’ Wayne and Taylor Swift garbage. I’ll listen to Lupe Fiasco, B.O.B. and Jordin Sparks anytime.

I was hesitant about the quality of performance I would hear during the evening from an American Idol winner.

Yet, I must admit I was surprised by Sparks. Her set was not overly elaborate to hide weak vocals, such as you would expect from some artists in the pop game.

She performed with a friendly ease and took great care to include her backup singers/dancers as active elements of the performance.

She played a full set of both old and new tracks including: “S.O.S. (Let the Music Play),” “Battlefield,” “Watch You Go,” “Emergency 911,” “God Loves Ugly,” “No Air,” “One Step At a Time,” “Walking on Snow,” “Tattoo,” “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head” and “Was I the Only One?”

While I accept Sparks performance as solid, the applause for the evening must be given to her opening acts. Going in, I knew relatively little about Lupe Fiasco and B.O.B.

I had heard a few of their mainstream hits and thought “Oh well, I’m sure it’ll be a fun waste of a couple of hours.”

I was wrong.

From my horrific assigned seat where I could barely even see the stage, I saw two men with genuine potential to reform and empower today’s declining hip hop culture.

B.O.B. and Fiasco delivered politically charged and realistic rhymes that instantly clicked with the listener.

If you are unfamiliar with these young men, I can explain them to you in one way.

B.O.B., a multidimensional artist who not only raps, but plays guitar and sings, delivers his positive down-to-earth message with the charisma and high energy of a young, Southern preacher.

Fiasco, in his personally made “I Fight Evil” T-shirt, raps with a raw intensity and ferocity of a street activist seconds from exploding.

“This is music and business to me,” said Kobe Kane, a regional hip hop artist. “I came here for inspiration.”

He wasn’t the only one.

“I came here tonight to see a stage persona,” said fellow rapper and fan, ‘Young ‘Rique’. “I thought it was good. I learned a lot.”

“It’s great music,” said Richard Cox, another fan. “I like his [Fiasco] lyrics more than anything else.”

I chatted later with a female fan about whether or not these lyrics are primarily race based or had the potential to affect everyone.

“It’s not about race,” said Brittney Gocher, an ETSU student, “but who can relate to what he’s [Fiasco] saying.”

B.O.B. and Fiasco both played full sets with B.O.B. performing the most with 14 songs. Some of B.O.B.’s set included, “Nothin’ On You,” “I’ll be in the Sky,” “Generation Lost,” “Haterz Everywhere,” “Airplanes,” “Satellite,” “Don’t Let Me Fall” and “Lovelier Than You”.

Fiasco’s set included “Kick Push,” “Superstar,” “Daydream,” “State Run Radio,” “Hip Hop Saved My Life.” “Hi-Definition,” “Blackout,” “Go Go Gadget Flow” and “I’m Beaming.”

Though it was a long night and there were some questions raised about concert staff competence, such as having to wait at least 45 minutes at the press check-in for no reason and student complaints about poor wristband enforcement or fairness.

I’ll brush the negative energy aside as B.O.B. instructed us at the beginning of his set and give the performers a thumbs up.

Author