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Wiz Khalifa (via hypetrak.com)

We know you’re more preoccupied right now with either (1) resting up before the sheer length and intensity of this House- and Lawnparties-filled weekend or (2) going bonkers about whether or not someone is wearing the same dress as you (!!!).

While you’re gearing up, though, here at The Ink we figured we’d catch you up to speed with some of the musical acts for this weekend. First up, we decided to spotlight Lawnparties’ headliners, because Yaro & Co. absolutely killed it this year and brought a pair of rap’s up-and-coming stars for the bright, sunny, and much-venerated prep-fest of day-drinking and carousing. (And seriously, what is up with Princeton attracting such fresh rap talent? El-P, Jedi Mind Tricks, Ghostface Killah kind-of, Das Racist, and now Wiz Khalifa and Big K.R.I.T.? Are we the hippest Ivy?)

First, I have to admit I was really surprised but even more excited to hear opener and Mississippi native Big K.R.I.T. would be joining Wiz on stage this Sunday. His career’s been on the up-and-up since releasing his debut mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here this time last year, and the press has been buzzing with his name. You can download his newest (and seriously great) mixtape Return of 4eva free/legally here.

And the music? If you’re at all a fan of Southern rap kings UGK, Atlanta duo Outkast, or even up-and-coming Curren$y, you’ll find something to love in K.R.I.T.’s deep South, country-fried sound. Check out “Country Shit,” a straight banger from K.R.I.T.’s first mixtape that hit so hard Southern veterans Ludacris and Bun B decided to hop on the beat for a remix.

Intrigued? Check out “Sookie Now” — if this doesn’t have you bobbing your head and smiling, reconsider your Lawnparties schedule.

If you’re feeling this, check out “Glass House” for a smoother cut featuring Curren$y and Khalifa, and “Return of 4eva” for a heavier selection that’ll keep up the Lawnparties pace.

Moving on to the headliner himself, though, Wiz Khalifa’s been something of a one-huge-hit wonder with his smash “Black and Yellow,” but trust me, there’s way more to be excited about for this Sunday. A look at some of his best cuts after the jump.

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Continuing our recent stream of rap coverage – who knew Princeton was so hood? — I’m pleased to report that Del tha Funkee Homosapien will be performing at a “secret event” at Cloister Inn tonight, 11 p.m. – 1 a.m. According to an email sent to the Cloister listserv, this Red Bull sponsored performance will be on PUID. Del has one of the most unique flows in the rap game today, loaded with dense polysyllabic rhyme and obscure jargon. You might recognize him from his verses on that hit Gorillaz single, “Clint Eastwood,” in which he is a blue toothy monster. His claim to fame is Deltron 3030, a concept album about himself as a space-traveling superhero crusading against evil corporations in the year (surprise!) 3030. It is exactly as trippy as it sounds, full of lines like:

Electronic monolith, throw a jam upon the disc
The futuristic looper with the quickness
Hyperproducing hydrogen fusion liquids
Keep your distance

If you’d like to see that in context, check out this track:

He’s sure to be entertaining. And considering that No Age is playing at Terrace tomorrow, this promises to be one of Princeton’s best musical weekends in recent memory — don’t miss it.

image source: huffingtonpost.com

image source: huffingtonpost.com

The Huffington Post recently created a list entitled “If Rappers Were Colleges: Analogies You WON’T Find on the SAT,” which pairs universities with famous rappers. Comparing Princeton to Eminem, the rankings say that he (or we) are “The whitest of the truly elite.”

Our friends at PrincetonFML are ambivalent about the comparison.

One student writes, “If rappers were colleges, Eminem would be Princeton. OLAG?” Another says that “Jay-Z should be Princeton.” Unfortunately, the year Princeton loses its #1 spot on the U.S. News & World Report rankings is also the year that the HuffPo gives Jay-Z to Harvard.

But we think the analogy is apt beyond our pigment challenges. In 1896 our school changed its name from the College of New Jersey to Princeton University. Born Marshall Mathers, Eminem similarly assumed his rap name because it sounds cooler (M and M are his initials. Get it?). The first five Presidents of Princeton had untimely health issues and died within 20 years of one another. Eminem was abandoned by his father when he was 18 months old. Despite these tragic beginnings of contested nominal identities, both Princeton and Eminem have stood up as the real Slim Shadys.

So here’s some advice from our rapper/school (Princeton even has its research hands in #3).

(source: boston.com)

(source: boston.com)

Sometimes, it’s hard for Princetonians to relate to the average college experience. Phrases like “credit hours,” “middle class,” and “Abercrombie & Fitch” are foreign to our ears. Thank God for Eric Vreeland ‘10, who has taken upon himself to reinterpret the state school experience for us.

You see, Vreeland has performed an act of community service–a random act of kindness, if you will–by remaking Asher Roth’s terrible/amazing frat-tastic “I Love College.” With shout-outs to Old Nassau and, thank goodness, fewer public school references, Vreeland’s version is entitled “I Love Princeton.”

Or maybe you’ll have a different opinion. Maybe you’ll think that–kind of like the swine flu pandemic–the national scourge that is the suburban white boy rap has finally hit Princeton.

Take a listen. You will (not) regret it:

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Here’s the original song:

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