On Sunday afternoon, NLE Choppa performed at the State Farm Center for the annual Spring Jam concert.
Spring Jam is coordinated by the Illini Union, State Farm Center, the Illini Union Board and Star Course, and it is free for all students who present their i-card upon entry.
The rapper was supposed to begin his set at 2 p.m., but due to airline problems, he arrived on stage shortly after 5 p.m. During the delay, NLE Choppa’s opener, DJ Eazy, tried to keep the low-energy crowd occupied, mixing some of today’s most popular songs with throwbacks.
Kelly McIlvaine, sophomore in LAS, said she was initially excited to see NLE Choppa perform, but as the delay grew, she no longer wanted to see him.
“Me and my friends got here around 12:50 p.m.,” McIlvaine said. “It’s now 4:56, and I don’t even want to see him anymore. But I’ve spent this much time, so I’m going to stay until I see him.”
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Alexa Worthley, freshman in AHS, said she arrived at the State Farm Center at 10:30 a.m. Though Worthley was tired from waiting, she said she was still excited to hear “SLUT ME OUT” and “SLUT ME OUT 2.”
“I hope he doesn’t cut it short,” Worthley said. “I’m ready to get some NLE going right now.”
Despite the delay, Worthley said she would be back for future Spring Jams, being on the barricade at every single one.
Krishna Nimmalagadda, senior in Engineering, said he didn’t show up on time, so the delay didn’t affect him as much.
“When I was coming here, I noticed a lot of people walking away from the venue, so I was hoping it wouldn’t be too dead when I got here,” Nimmalagadda said. “Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long, so I didn’t feel too bad about it, but I imagine if I were here from 1 p.m., I’d be a little pissed.”
NLE Choppa appeared on stage a few minutes after 5 p.m., apologizing to the crowd for the delay as they erupted into cheers. The Memphis-born rapper began his set with his dynamic 2022 single “DO IT AGAIN,” effortlessly gliding across the stage with electrifying dance moves.
The audience jumped and screamed throughout the song, putting their hands in the air and waving their phone flashlights.
“What the f— is up, the University of Illinois,” NLE Choppa said into the mic, pointing out in the crowd.
Throughout his set, NLE Choppa played some of his most popular songs, such as “Famous Hoes,” “Capo” and “Camelot.” During each song, NLE Choppa darted across the stage, hyping up the crowd on each side of the stadium as they screamed along to the lyrics.
Before starting on “IT’S GETTING HOT,” NLE Choppa spoke to the ladies in the audience, encouraging them to throw their bras and underwear onto the stage.
“Where my ladies at?” NLE Choppa said. “Y’all already know it’s slut season.”
NLE Choppa was met with high-pitched screams and multiple bras thrown on the stage, a few of which he hung around his neck as he performed the rest of his set.
Though Nimmalagadda didn’t vote for this year’s Spring Jam, he was pleasantly surprised that NLE Choppa had been chosen and was excited to see him perform.
“I thought it was a little low energy at the start,” Nimmalagadda said. “Once he started working the crowd a little bit more, I was vibing.”
Chris Edquiban, junior in LAS, also agreed that the first half lacked energy.
“To be honest, I only listen to his harder music, not really his R&B or TikTok type of songs — I listen to more of his earlier stuff,” Edquiban said. “So the first half was alright, but in the second half, he really turned it up.”
NLE Choppa played one of his most popular songs, “SLUT ME OUT,” multiple times during his set, along with the 2024 sequel “SLUT ME OUT 2.” He ended his set by playing “IT’S GETTING HOT ” a final time.
NLE Choppa expressed his appreciation for the crowd before exiting the stage, once again apologizing for the delay.
“I love and appreciate y’all so much … I am nothing without y’all,” NLE Choppa said. “University of Illinois, I appreciate y’all so much.”
