Rising Maryland rapper Rico Nasty will headline this year’s Conquest concert, the USC Concerts Committee announced Friday.
USC’s Conquest concert and rally began in 2003 to celebrate USC playing its football rival UCLA. The rally will feature performances by various student organizations before the concert begins at 8 p.m. The event will also include a ferris wheel, food vendors, free swag from sponsors and matches between the USC and UCLA eSports teams.
Rico Nasty -- the artist behind hit songs such as “Poppin” and “Smack a B*tch” -- gained a large following of loyal fans on social media, using the moniker “Tacobella” on Instagram and Twitter.
This is the second artist USC has hosted this year who has appeared on XXL Magazine’s 2019 Freshman list. Fellow XXL Freshman YBN Cordae drew large crowds as the Welcome Week concert opener in August.
Chris Begler, a co-director of USC’s Concerts Committee, said that this is a great moment to host Rico Nasty given her recent rise in popularity.
“She’s had a really big year, her [recent] album got a lot of buzz,” Begler said. “Her music is also within the energy and spirit of the Conquest rally.”
Rico Nasty’s flow has been described as “vengeful,” “brash” and “femme.” She has been praised by outlets such as Pitchfork for her hardcore-rap sound.
“I'm proud that we were able to incorporate more of an eclectic mix to our lineup,” Begler said.
Very few women have headlined events booked by the USC Concerts Committee. Nasty is the first female artist to headline Conquest since 2016. Begler said the committee had been working to create a “more diverse lineup” in response to student complaints.
Rico Nasty’s set will be preceded by a performance from Channel Tres, a producer and house DJ from Los Angeles, the Concert Committee announced.
In years past, the rally has been marked by burning the UCLA mascot — a bear — in a large bonfire at McCarthy Quad.
However, for the second year in a row, the festivities will not include the burning of the bear due to concerns over health and safety. The Office of Fire Safety and Emergency Planning said the tradition was canceled by the Trojan Pride Committee, a programming group under the undergraduate student government.
Trojan Pride told Annenberg Media the bonfire was canceled out of respect for the families affected by the Getty fire. The decision follows UCLA’s decision to do the same.
Trojan Pride indicated an email would be sent to students Monday night announcing the cancellation of the Conquest bonfire. “While we highly value the rivalry spirit as well as all the cultural implications behind this traditional event, we also find it critical to be mindful of the feelings of the people involved in these misfortunes,” they wrote in the letter.
However, the celebration will kick off with a similar display of school pride. “We will have handprint murals along with ‘Pie the Bruin’ activities,” the letter reads.
“[USC Concerts] is working on a different activation — still in the same spirit and still in the same vein but more eco and fire-hazard friendly,” Begler said.
Students familiar with the tradition expressed a mix of disappointment and understanding regarding the removal of the burning of the bear.
“I thought it was pretty fun when we burned a bear last time, I mean it's all in good spirit to get us fired up for the game on Saturday, but this is the first time I’ve heard we aren’t doing it, and I guess it’s a little disappointing,” said Ethan Wagner, a senior who said he is still planning to attend Conquest.
Seanna Latiff, a sophomore, said she is still excited to attend the concert.
“I feel like if we've gone without it [Burning of the Bear], we probably could keep going without it,” she said. “We don't necessarily need to set things on fire right now.”
The doors for Conquest will open at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Students, guests and alumni are all welcome. IDs must be presented for entry.