*This article appeared in the 2007 Joke Issue
Come Friday, Spring Fling concertgoers will get the chance to "Fight the Power" with one of hip hop's seminal groups.
SPEC Concerts announced last night that Public Enemy, the politically charged rap group founded by Flavor Flav and Chuck D, will be co-headlining with Ben Folds at this years Fling Concert.
"The bands really complement each other," said SPEC Concerts co-director Matt Mizrahi. "I think it's safe to say this concert will be off the heezy, fo' sheezy."
The last-minute addition of Public Enemy to Friday's lineup was announced on the group's MySpace.com page last night, where the group said they would be coming to preach their message "in the heart of the enemy."
Although the addition was not announced until last night, SPEC Concerts had been working on finalizing the deal with Public Enemy for some time.
"Penn students' musical tastes are just so broad, it's hard to just pick one or two bands that could really sum up their interests," Mizrahi said.
Mizrahi noted that requests for bands this year ran the gamut of musical genres.
"We got every type of request imaginable," he said. "From alternative rock to acoustic rock, from Dave Matthews Band to Ben Folds, Penn students wanted it all."
Some students, however, thought the addition of Public Enemy to the announced acts was a little strange.
"Public Enemy? Isn't that a Will Smith movie?" asked Wharton junior Charles von Charlesburg LVI.
Public Enemy has often generated controversy, with critics decrying lyrics often rife with black militantism. But SPEC believes the Penn community will embrace the group's performance.
"Maybe it's the presence of Wharton on campus, but for some reason Penn students love to stick it to the man," said SPEC concerts co-director Kellyn Goler. Goler cited the presence of nearly five students at a recent Iraq War protest as a sign that students are politically sympathetic to the group's lyrics.
Contacted last night, Ben Folds said he was a little bit wary of performing alongside Public Enemy.
"I'm just a pussy-ass white guy from the suburbs," he said. "What is SPEC doing to me?"
However, SPEC says Public Enemy is just another band in a series of diverse offerings for Penn students.
"Public Enemy is following concerts like Howie Day, Rufus Wainwright, and Ben Folds," Goler said. "It's not like SPEC only picks one type of music for concerts."
