By Joe Lewis

On what better weekend to have Kanye West come to Penn State than this year’s Homecoming weekend? Despite the Homecoming parade and fireworks scheduled for that night, October 28, it was still wonderful to see so many Kanye fans eager to see him perform. Kanye is currently on the Touch the Sky tour featuring artists such as Fantasia Barrino and Keyshia Cole. Common is also another highly acclaimed artist on the tour but he was unable to make to it due to the fact that he is currently shooting a movie.

When the concert started, Keyshia Cole was the first artist to take the stage. Keyshia Cole, a brand new R&B artist, is said to share comparisons in her music similar to the Queen of Hip Hop and Soul, Miss Mary J. Blige. “The Way it is”, Cole’s debut album already has her up for 3 Vibe Award Nominations. From that album, she performed her brand new single, “I Should have Cheated”, “I Just Want it to be Over”, and “I Changed my Mind”, produced by Mr. West himself. Keyshia Cole provided a lot of energy needed to get everyone especially the ladies ready for the main event.

After Keyshia Cole performed her songs, it was time for Fantasia to perform. Third Annual American Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino took time out of her schedule to join Kanye on the tour. Her Debut album, “Free Yourself” was a seen a solid album in which one could reflect on their past relationships and learn how to move on. She started off with a performance of “It’s All Good,” and followed with “Ain’t gon’ beg you,” “Free Yourself,” and the soul lifting “Truth is.” But Fantasia’s biggest song was “Baby Mama.” The joyous and motivational rhythm along with a wonderful chorus was enough to keep the crowd on their feet for whom they were about to see next.

sketch by Joe Lewis

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any louder, Kanye West took the stage with a strong enough attitude to get everyone out of their seats. Kanye West, a rap artist under Jay-Z owned Roca-fella Records is also known for his beats. In fact, that is what brought him into the music industry. Kanye went on to produce major beats for top artists when he dropped out of college. His current career was almost ended in October, 2001, when he destroyed his jaw in car crash. Despite this downfall, he was able to record “Through the Wire” with the metal wiring in his jaw. Kanye has grown to be the savior of hip hop after recently winning 5 Grammy awards even though some critics have harshly criticized his skills as an artist. During the concert, Kanye performed a total 19 songs from both of his multi-platinum albums, “College Dropout” and “Late Registration.” These tracks included “We Don’t Dare,” “All Falls Down,” “Slow Jams,” “Overnight Celebrity,” the ever spiritual “Jesus Walks,” “Spaceship,” “Kanye’s Workout Plan,” “Get ‘em High,” “Through the Wire,” “Heard ‘em Say” featuring Adam Levine of Maroon 5, “Touch the Sky,” “Goldigger,” “Diamonds are Forever,” “Drive Slow,” “Gone,” “We Major,” “Crack Music,” “Roses,” “Hey Mama,” “ Bring Me down,” and “Addiction.”

The amount of noise that was heard while he performed could be compared to the noise level at Beaver Stadium. Mr. West was surely surprising with all his different props and songs that everyone out of their seats. Overall, the concert was spectacular. I must say it was the greatest concert that I’ve ever been to and on that note, I would like to thank Mr. West and all his friends for blessing Penn State with his presence. And remember Diamonds are forever.