Hoodie goes hard at homecoming

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Hoodie Allen takes the stage Nov. 5 as part of Tulane’s Homecoming week. His performance included a freestyle about Tulane.

Lily Milwit, Senior Staff Reporter

For anyone who grew up in a northeast suburb waiting patiently for the day they got their driver’s license so they could blast “No Interruption” with the windows down on their way to high school, Hoodie Allen’s performance Thursday night on the Lavin-Bernick Center Quad was a big deal. But for those who don’t have any idea why a Jewish dude from Long Island, New York has a hip-hop career at all, here’s a recap.

Hoodie Allen began his life as Steven Markowitz. He went to University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, pledged Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, got a degree in marketing and finance and then went to work for Google. But Markowitz had a passion for music, so he picked up the stage name Hoodie Allen, turned in his business degree for a microphone and went out on the road.

Fast forward a few years and Hoodie Allen has four albums and a long list of collaborations with big names, including G-Eazy, Fall Out Boy, Ed Sheeran and Chance the Rapper.

On Thursday Hoodie opened the show with “No Interruption,” the first single off of his “All American” album released in 2012. He continued with other popular songs from that album, including “Small Town” and “No Faith in Brooklyn,” while also mixing in newer and less recognized songs including “Sirens” and “People Keep Talking.”

Hoodie Allen kept the energy high throughout the show, encouraging crowd participation with right side versus left side sing-alongs and questions that prompted enthusiastic responses like, “Who here is from the East Coast?”

Hoodie’s lyrics also proved to be extremely relatable. “Song for an Actress” includes the lyric “Kick it with that new girl, eatin’ my Chipotle” and “Fame is For Assholes” reminds us to “pass blunts, babe, I can get you Emma Stoned.”

Perhaps the most popular part of Hoodie’s set was a rap he customized for Tulane. He made references to Loyola University New Orleans, Bruff Commons, President Mike Fitts and F&M’s cheese fries, before informing us that “your girlfriend is like The Boot — easy to get into.”

Hoodie Allen was clearly excited to be at Tulane and showed it with his well thought-out set list and personalized performance, highlighted by the fact that his lead guitarist was sporting a Tulane jersey on stage.

While many Tulane students may have left their Hoodie Allen playlists in the CD players of their cars at home, Hoodie’s performance Thursday was entertaining, engaging and nostalgic. If homecoming is a tradition to celebrate the past and marry it with the present, Hoodie Allen fit in perfectly with the week’s festivities.

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