With long lines extending along USC’s Greek Row, hundreds of students eagerly waited Saturday to enter fraternity houses hosting notable musical performers Soulja Boy and Acraze.
Kappa Alpha Order (KA) and Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) jointly hosted DJ Acraze, and musical artist Soulja Boy performed at Phi Sigma Kappa (Phi Sig).
The performances are just the latest in the trend of USC fraternities hosting well-known musical artists. In addition to these parties, Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) had Diplo and Major Lazer perform at parties, and KA hosted DJ group Loud Luxury, just in the first six weeks of the fall semester.
Massimo Soto, ZBT’s social chair, said that the events are “becoming a very big thing with these DJs because with Greek life and social media, it’s super easy” for an event to go viral.
“If [the performers] do these events, they’ll get a ton of clicks and a ton of support,” said Soto, a junior majoring in film and television production.
However, hosting these events comes with its challenges, according to sophomore Vin Pineda, the Phi Sig’s social chair.
“We knew [Soulja Boy] was going to be in LA this weekend, so we reached out to him a [few months ago], and then built a relationship with him and his manager,” Pineda said.
When it comes to funding this kind of large-scale event, Pineda, a computer science and business administration major, said the event is financed through “fraternity dues, external donations, and sponsorships accumulated over the span of a few months.”
Soto also emphasized the importance of sponsorships, explaining that businesses can sponsor the performance in exchange for product placement at the event. Businesses will pass out their product or encourage attendees to follow their social media platforms as they enter the fraternities.
These events also provide student DJs with a unique opportunity to perform on stage alongside famous musical artists. Pineda, who has DJed for his Phi Sig previously, opened up for Soulja Boy for an hour before the singer came on stage.
Paneda said the opportunity was “really cool”, especially given the large crowd.
When Aleksandra Lasek, a sophomore international relations major, first heard that Soulja Boy was performing, she couldn’t believe it. “It’s Soulja Boy, so everyone had so much fun,” Lasek said. “I loved it, it was great. It was really cool because they allowed some people to go and meet him [after].”