ACE has created a grand finale to UNCW’s celebration of Women’s History month by adding controversy through offensive lyrics “With ho tendencies.”

Each year ACE issues a survey to students on campus to assess the genre of music that students want to have in concert on campus. The Student Government Association allots ACE an annual budget (acquired by student fees) with which they provide students movies on campus, homecoming events, small concerts and the annual Spring Jam concert.

This year ACE is presenting Ludacris and Petey Pablo as the featured artists for their Spring Jam. Ludacris is represented by the media giant Def Jam.

Currently ACE has sold about 1,700 tickets, and there are 4,000 tickets available. Ludacris and Petey Pablo fit into the price bracket that was affordable for the on-campus concert this year, and they accepted ACE’s bid.

ACE paid Ludacris and Petey Pablo $60,000 up-front to perform. According to ACE president Rebecca Frierson, Ludacris and Petey Pablo also fit into the appropriate genre that students prefer. For years rap and hip-hop have dominated the survey results.

Yet ACE’s choice of Ludacris to represent the rap and hip-hop genre has created dispute on campus.

Mark Boren, a visiting lecturer, had his lyric poetry class analyze Ludacris’ controversial lyrics.

“We analyzed both the content and the metrics of the songs,” said Boren, a visiting lecturer. “The students’ reactions initially varied quite a bit.”

“Some students were clearly offended by the lyrics, and others were indifferent, although a number of the students thought that the lyrics were, relative to other songs played on the radio, inoffensive, if not benign,” Boren said.

Boren’s class analyzed the lyrics of three Ludacris songs entitled “Word of Mouf,” “Move Bitch,” and “Ho.” The song “Ho,” for example, includes the lyrics “You doin ho activities; With ho tendencies; Hos are your friends; Hos are your enemies; With ho energy to do whatcha do; Blew whatcha blew; And screw whatcha screw.”

Upon analyzing the lyrics, Boren found that some of Ludacris’ songs seemed to be critical of commercialism, promiscuity and social conditions.

“On a more general level, the lyrics are clearly degrading of women and voice some rather offensive racial stereotypes,” Boren said.

While some UNCW community members find the artist’s lyrics troubling, others anticipate his appearance positively.

“I am very excited about Ludacris coming,” said sophomore Dayna Hairston. “First of all, it says a lot about UNCW to get such a widely known recording artist to come to our campus.”

“Also, (the Ludacris concert) provides another genre to the spectrum of musical entertainment offered at UNCW,” said Hairston. She also feels that the upcoming concert has brought about community involvement centered on the arrival of Ludacris.

Elizabeth Ervin, director of the UNCW Women’s Resource Center, has worked with Ludacris lyrics to formulate a response from the organization. Flyers and posters will appear on campus as a reaction to the choice of the artist for the on-campus concert.

Ervin feels that offensive art is important in promoting social change, as long as it embodies some sort of social critique or forces people to think something outside of the boundaries. She feels that it is the artist, and not the genre chosen, for on-campus entertainment that is flawed.

“There are other rap and hip-hop artists that are more fitting,” Ervin said. She mentioned Lauryn Hill and Eminem as examples of rap artists with thought-provoking social messages in mind.

Some students feel that by opposing the choice of artist for the concert that they are being censored. “Censorship is not the same thing as opposing something,” Ervin said.

Ludacris and Petey Pablo will perform Saturday March 29, at Trask coliseum. Doors open at 7p.m.