MTSU’s Urban Entertainment Society hosted its second annual Rock the World concert in the Chris Young Cafe on Friday, showcasing the work and talents of many aspiring student artists.
The show featured musicians inspired by rap, hip hop, R&B, rock, reggaeton and jazz – all genres that fit under the urban entertainment umbrella.
“We ask a lot of our own artists [ artists in UES] or artists that don’t perform at a lot of shows or some people [who] are part of MATCH Records,” Naaman Burgess, president of UES, said.
Rappers like Amirsa’vant and KDestiny took to the stage with enthusiasm, both performing some newly released and unreleased songs. For KDestiny, it was his last show at MTSU.
On the R&B side, freshman SHIIINE and junior Danae slowed the set down as they belted out their own original songs. Danae sang her newest single, “Confessions,” which she wrote a week before the concert.
Elevating the excitement, hip hop singer Rocky Breed performed his first-ever set. The crowd gathered along the base of the stage to dance, clap and sing along in a show of support for the new artist.
“It’s definitely overwhelming,” Breed said. “I didn’t expect the reaction I got. I definitely want to do more shows in the future outside of just streaming.”
Also performing for the first time at MTSU, the band Stone Petals brought psychedelic rock and soulful storytelling to the stage.
Lead singer Addi Andarna explained how the group came together last fall during a Hop Springs Beer Park event.
“I got asked to do a Woodstock event, and they were like ‘yeah, you can sing, but you need a band,’” Andara said. “This was our first show on campus, so we’ve been looking forward to doing this for a while.”
The concert also featured a showcase by MTSU Jam, a jazz group composed of musicians from MTSU’s School of Music. From jazz standards to bossa nova, MTSU Jam kept the crowd engaged with its skillful improvisation.
In a similar, but more energetic, vein to bossa nova, Lucho Ritmic performed his reggaeton- and Latin pop-inspired tracks. After Lucho’s set at UES’s 2025 Rock the World concert, his music grew in popularity and eventually found its way on the radio.
“We had multiple people who had bigger streaming like Lucho Ritmic,” Burgess said. “A whole bunch of people listen to his stuff.”
Burgess discussed how the club faced a lull in programming during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and has been trying to build upon its performance opportunities ever since.
“We’ve done shows on campus, in Murfreesboro and in places around Nashville,” he said. “I’m just glad everyone’s having a good time tonight.”
New musicians in UES can utilize the organization’s events for exposure – the first step into the entertainment industry. For Breed, UES is a family.
“Even walking into my first meeting, everyone just interacted and seemed like family,” Breed said. “It’s such a cool thing to see.”
The Rock the World concert was the last UES event of the semester, leaving the performance schedule to resume in the fall.
To contact the features editor, email [email protected].
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source mtsusidelines.com ’
