‘That escalated quickly’: What’s going on with the Chance the Rapper concert?

The ASUCD made an exciting announcement a couple of days ago: Chance the Rapper would be coming to Davis on his Magnificent Coloring World Tour.

Unfortunately, on the day of the pre-sale things went downhill fast. Not only were tickets being sold for two different levels (floor and upper levels), but the tickets sold out ridiculously fast.

Then everything got a little more serious when a student suggested on the Facebook page that white students give their tickets to students of color (SOC).

This was posted on the concert page August 31 at around 3PM

Tori-Ann Porter said: “All the white people who got floor tickets to see Chance the Rapper need to give them up to Black people or Brown people. The album wasn’t even made for you and you don’t even know what he is talking about or can’t even relate to it lol.”

What was supposed to be an exciting event for Davis students has turned into a heated discussion about racial discrimination on campus and the importance Chance’s music may hold for those who feel marginalized at our university.

The event page has now become a discussion site where POC have been expressing their opinions regarding the controversy and shedding light on the many discriminations they face at Davis that many of us have not heard about before.

“ASUCD: your silence regarding the blatant anti-blackness and transphobia on this event page is complicity. Y’all love black artists but you’ve done absolutely nothing to support black students at this school that make up only 3% of the population. Say something. Do something. You can block me now.”

The page is littered with those that are excited for the concert, those trying to get tickets, those that are taking it as an opportunity to express injustices, and those that are just trying to make sense of it all.

“This thread went from being hella excited for the ticket to go on sale -> people being mad over floor/upper level tickets -> racial and discriminating remarks all within 24 hours. That escalated quickly.”

As of now, ASUCD has not come out with a statement regarding what is happening on the Facebook page.

Some are angry. Most are excited. Few are laughing

“I feel a little guilty about buying Chance tickets now. I’m 1/8th white, so I could only listen to 7/8ths of his album. Therefore, I don’t know all the words to his songs. Help.”

“Guys, social media is for dank memes and stalking your ex, not this nonsense”.

“All I want to say, despite all the racist comments on here, is for each and every one of you to please be safe, keep your cool, and be calm and collected,” said Melvin Lal, trying to cool down tensions.

The concert is set for October 30th and is being held at the ARC pavilion.

If you were one of the lucky ones to get some tickets: have fun, be safe, and enjoy the music.