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The first time Aryaan Anand listened to Jack Harlow was on TikTok last spring, when he heard the song,”WHATS POPPIN” on his “For You” page. When University Union announced Harlow as the headliner of this year’s lineup, the junior said he felt excited. 

“It’s so crazy when things come full circle. I still remember adding his song on Spotify after his song went viral on TikTok,” said Anand. 

After going virtual last year, Juice Jam is returning to Skytop Field on Sept. 26 with performances from Jack Harlow, B.o.B, Audrey Nuna and Bea Miller. Syracuse University students are getting ready for the liveliness of Sunday’s Juice Jam event.

“Syracuse is one of the only places that does something like Juice Jam,” said freshman Payton Morse. 

Jack Harlow will headline the annual concert, while B.o.B, Nuna and Miller will join the rapper on Skytop as supporting acts. Even though Harlow is relatively new to mainstream hip-hop after breaking out with his hit single “WHATS POPPIN” in 2020, his ubiquitous persona does a great job at turning strangers into listeners, sophomore Fiona Hurless said. 

“Jack Harlow is a really big name right now,” Hurless added. “His songs have been in the top charts recently, so I think that’s going to appeal to a lot of students.” 

Freshman Lola Bollmann recognized Harlow’s “fresh” addition to the lineup while other students were infatuated with the appearance of such a popular rapper. Hurless expressed a similar sentiment to other sophomores in that she doesn’t have expectations for Sunday since this is her first time in attendance. 

Many students commended UU for organizing a strong lineup within the limitations of the pandemic.

“I was surprised because Jack Harlow is a little bit more up and coming … and it’s post-COVID,” senior Giulia Kean said. “Honestly, anything UU does is pretty impressive.”

For freshman Wilson Paula, Harlow does not compare to some of Juice Jam’s past headliners, including 21 Savage, who Paula said has a more established audience and “name for himself.”

“If it was the opposite I would definitely go, without a question,” Paula said. 

But some students feel that the Juice Jam lineup is a perfect balance between modern notoriety and throwback nostalgia. B.o.B is widely known for his smash hit “Airplanes,” which peaked at number two on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2010 and featured Hayley Williams. Most students may not be familiar with his recent album, “Lost Tapes,” but nevertheless, they are drawn in by the sentimentality of his past.

Seeing B.o.B on the lineup shocked Paula, who said she hadn’t heard new music from the Atlanta artist since elementary school. 

“B.o.B. surprised me,” Paula said. “I didn’t even know he was still doing performances.”

B.o.B hasn’t placed on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart since his 2014 song “Not for Long,” leaving Bollmann curious about B.o.B’s contribution to this year’s concert. She said that B.o.B is a “random addition” to the lineup because he “hasn’t been popular for a while.”

Freshmen Glevince Molenje and Nicole Holmes said they haven’t bought their ticket to Juice Jam yet, but won’t be missing out on the experience. But Holmes added that B.o.B is a good throwback artist to perform. 

Many juniors who didn’t attend Juice Jam their freshman year and sophomores who didn’t have Juice Jam their freshman year are excited about attending the concert for their first time.

“I wasn’t able to go my freshman year, so I’m ready to see what the hype is about,”  Anand said.

For students that have been to the event before, or for students who aren’t thrilled about the lineup, Juice Jam is still an opportunity to attend a live concert, which many students haven’t done in a while due to the pandemic. 

The Skytop concert will be senior Lex Eckhart’s first since the start of the pandemic. She isn’t looking forward to the artists, but she said she is excited to reap the benefits of live music once again.

“It’s very therapeutic to listen to live music because I haven’t done that in a while,” Eckhart said.

Published on September 25, 2021 at 8:34 pm