Posted on October 26, 2007 12:59 AM
Hip-hop concert to benefit student
An up-and-coming hip-hop artist, a fraternity, a family and a crowd of students will gather together for an altruistic cause tonight.
The Delta Upsilon (DU) fraternity, 229 Locust Lane, will hold a benefit concert at 9 p.m. for fellow fraternity brother Aaron Stidd in an effort to raise money for the Stidd family and to spread awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.
This is one of the several efforts DU and the Penn State community has made to support Stidd, 21, who was hit and critically injured by a drunk driver last October while crossing Atherton Street at Beaver Avenue.
"I knew [the fraternity members] were going to do something," Connie Stidd, Aaron's mother, said. "It sounds really nice, and I'm really grateful."
The concert, which is hosted by DU and Nittany Booking, will feature Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa, who signed to Warner Brothers Records in June and whose national popularity is steadily building by word of mouth.
"We wanted to get someone with a solid fan base, not someone we had to do a lot of promotion for," said Will Dzombak (sophomore-music management), co-founder of Nittany Booking.
Though only 19 years old, Khalifa has watched as his first major label single "Youngin' On His Grind" permeated the mainstream. Rolling Stone magazine honored him last December as a "New Artist to Watch" and he won "Best Male Artist" and "Lyricist of the Year" at the 1st Annual Pittsburgh Hip-Hop awards.
Khalifa's payment for the performance is being donated to the cause, in addition to all proceeds from attendees.
If the order of the billing on the concert's poster is any indication, the star of the show is Stidd.
"Aaron Stidd loves rap music, so we figured we would get a decently big name, instead of a punk band Stidd doesn't even like," Dzombak said. "We wanted to do something he can enjoy and others can enjoy."
Connie Stidd said she is not yet sure if Aaron will be attending the actual concert because he still tires easily and the late night might be too much, but said they plan to stop by and say 'hi' to his fraternity brothers earlier in the day.
DU social chair Larry Chertik (sophomore-marketing) said the concert for Stidd is particularly timely, as the trial for the accident concluded Sept. 26. The driver, Anthony Torsell, 21, was convicted of homicide while driving under the influence, aggravated assault while driving under the influence and three counts of driving under the influence. He fatally struck visitor Richard Smith, 21, and critically injured Stidd.
Torsell's sentencing date will be Nov. 7 at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte.
"The goal of this concert is to make a huge profit for Stidd and for everyone to have a good time while doing it," Chertik said. "It offers more to those who are donating. It benefits them and it benefits Stidd."
Similar to the StiddStrong bracelets, T-shirts and other paraphernalia, the concert serves as an example of how students have banded together to support and empathize with a peer.
"He's one of the nicest, coolest kids. He was one of the reasons I considered pledging and kept pledging," Chertik said. "He's a great person to be around, always smiling."