Thursday, April 3, UNH’s SCOPE posted a redacted email to its Instagram account detailing the circumstances explaining why NLE Choppa withdrew from headlining their spring show. The email, sent to SCOPE by their talent booker and forwarded from NLE Choppa’s camp, cited extreme exhaustion and dehydration as reasons for cancelling the show, along with several other college shows in the month of April.
The email left SCOPE less than two weeks to salvage a show for Friday, April 11. Waka Flocka Flame, originally slated to perform alongside NLE Choppa, will now headline the show. Seacoast boom-bap group, BadLab, winner of SCOPE’s Battle of the Bands, will open for Flocka, along with Boston’s Big Night Live DJ Frank White, who previously opened for Flo Rida this fall.
SCOPE’s Publicity Director Matthew Wissler spoke on the quick decision process of SCOPE following NLE Choppa’s announcement. “Obviously, we were thinking it still made sense to put something on for students,” Wissler said. “We decided to refund everyone’s ticket, including fees, which not every school [that NLE Choppa cancelled on] did. And with the money we saved from NLE backing out, we could make the show free for students. So we did”
Considering NLE Choppa’s popularity and his selection to perform by the student body, SCOPE was also made to consider his placement on future headliner choice surveys to students. “Will he be on the list? Sure. Will he be the top choice again? Highly doubt it,” said Wissler. “There’s definitely a bit of an asterisk next to his name now–the label knows that, the talent agency knows that. Backing out certainly isn’t good for an artist’s reputation, regardless of the reasoning.”
SCOPE’s Spring Concert will be at the same time, this Friday, April 11. Ticket refunds will be processed automatically to all who purchased one, but if UNH students wish to attend, they will still need to reserve a free ticket. The concert remains open to the public with a $20 ticket price.
