MC student interns at Lil Uzi Vert concert

On Sept. 23, at 7:00 p.m., I was honored to have been invited to work at the Lil Uzi Vert concert. The night was intense, and the crowd anxiously waited for the platinum-selling artist to come and perform his signature songs.

Lil Uzi Vert is one of the most influential rappers in the culture today. He is known by some of his most popular songs such as “XO Tour Life,” “Money Longer,” “Too Much Sauce” and much more. The 23-year-old rapper decided to stop in Knoxville for his tour.

Three days before the concert, I received a phone call from Chose Gang DJ: IB John Doe. He’s from the city of Memphis and very popular in the music business. He got his start over four years ago being a DJ for events at the University of Tennessee. The experience was amazing, as I assisted DJ John Doe with the stage. I was able to meet different artists from all over and got to hear many unique sounds.

The magic happened when I was able to briefly speak with the Philly rapper himself, Lil Uzi Vert. He’s just how you would expect him to be: a rockstar. He expressed to me how stressful it is to be in the music business as an artist. It seemed as if continually being in the spotlight really takes a lot out  of the performers. He went to the stage shortly after we spoke and rocked it for half an hour. I could see the crowd flashing their lights and jumping around having the time of their lives. As I stood on stage, I could see all of the energy that the artist had put into his music.

The most important thing that I got out of this experience was the networking. I was able to meet with the DJ for Lil Uzi Vert, and I was able to meet people from Atlantic Records. Music is something that has always been a part of my life. DJ IB John Doe really gave me an opportunity to get into the music business. Hopefully, this is something that I can eventually put on my resume and get the exposure that I need to pursue a career.