It might seem crazy, what I’m about to say, but I really wasn’t too happy when this year’s Juice Jam lineup was revealed. I did not feel like a room without a roof. The weeks leading up to the big announcement were full of anticipation that came to a crashing halt on Aug. 17. Out of seven artists, there were a mere two rappers.  I was — and still am — furious. I thought what Juice Jam really needed this year was more hip-hop and electronic dance music artists to steer us away from other genres such as alternative, indie and pop music.

If University Union is going to have so many artists, why not make them all rappers and DJs? It seems like a fairly obvious choice to me. Last year, of the six artists that performed at Juice Jam, only four represented the hip-hop and EDM communities. With seven acts this year, at least 10 of them should do so.

Having one rapper, one DJ, one alternative band, one country singer and one folk band at an event like Juice Jam would just divide everybody and maybe even expose them to new music. Keep those string quartets away from us. We should really try to unite all of the concert attendees under one genre.

One of the things I love the most about SU is how our diverse student body is able to come together as one school. I’ve met people from the U.K., Greece, China, even Rochester. While there is a diverse group of musicians scheduled to perform on Sunday, it’s still not diverse enough. Yes, there are pop acts like Tinashe and indie performers like Broods and MisterWives, but where’s the real diversity?

Musical diversity is something many of us pretend to have, myself included. Whenever you ask someone what genres of music they’re into, they will often say “everything.”  If I were to pick up their phone, however, I doubt I would find Calvin Harris followed by Claude Debussy and Creedence Clearwater Revival. It’s not a crime to be limited in musical tastes, by any means. That being said, it wouldn’t be wrong to experience something new.

College is supposed to be a time of discovery, according to half of the graduation cards that I received. So maybe it’s time for UU to take us by the hand and lead us through the wonderful world of world music. I’m not claiming to be an expert, but I know there’s more out there than we are all aware of.

Just imagine 3LAU finishing his set, and 20 minutes later, the Roadies start bringing out banjos, or steel drums or sitars. It’s my guess that a lot of people would be pretty puzzled, but maybe it could open our minds a little bit. The beards and Birkenstock sandals of the ESF kids will quiver with excitement.

Juice Jam is all about having a good time, but it’s more than polishing off a few bottled beverages before stumbling to Skytop Field. It may be easy to forget that Juice Jam is a music festival, so it’s not just about those flower tiaras and face paint.  It’s a time when performances command our attention. Maybe people just haven’t been exposed to jazz or blues or post-industrial-noise-jazz-funk-country-swing-grass. Maybe they have been — but I haven’t and I would like to be.

I know when it comes to a lot of this year’s artists, I just can’t relate to what they’re singing about and I don’t think I’m alone. Does Ace Hood know the true problems that students face? I’ve never had the “feds” after me or unsuspectingly woken up in a luxury automobile. Although Schoolboy Q might think so, I confidently say I am definitely not a “gangsta, gangsta, gangsta, gangsta, gangsta, gangsta, G.”

Zach Schweikert is a sophomore advertising major.  Maybe you’ll run into him at Juice Jam this weekend.  Please don’t hurt him.  His column appears every Thursday in Pulp.  He can be reached at zdschwei@syr.edu

Published on September 4, 2014 at 12:01 am