The ink is barely dry on a deal that will bring up-and-coming hip-hop star Brian “Kid Ink” Collins to St. George this spring for Dixie Fest 2016.
Collins will be headlining the Dixie State University Student Association’s Dixie Fest March 18. The announcement was made at the Toga Dance Saturday. Sarah Ramaker, DSUSA vice president of student life, is organizing Dixie Fest, and she said the reaction from students at the announcement was extremely positive.
“Everyone seemed pretty excited,” said Ramaker, a senior dance major from Midland, Michigan. “We got a good response when we finally unveiled that it would be Kid Ink, so that was good to see that students will enjoy the show.”
DSUSA President Matt Devore, who, along with his executive council, was in charge of booking the headliner for the annual Dixie Fest and said Collins is a perfect fit.
“We had quite a few options,” said Devore, a senior integrated studies major from Mesquite, Nevada. “We have stats that said [Kid Ink] is really popular among college students in Utah… He’s an established artist that has been around for a while, and that’s what we were looking for. Right after we signed him, he released a new album, so it was almost perfect timing for us.”
Collins’ last album, “Full Speed,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 rap albums last spring. The album featured popular songs “Body Language,” “Be Real” and the “Furious 7” soundtrack single, “Ride Out.”
Collins, who has collaborated and performed with the likes of Chris Brown, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, Future and Fetty Wap, is the latest of big name acts DSUSA has brought to Dixie Fest.
St. George’s own hip-hop dance crew, Kalamity, will be opening for Kid Ink.
The exact time and location of the event has not yet been determined as DSUSA continues to work toward an agreement with the city.
