Rappers Ludacris and Rick Ross will co-headline University Union’s first-ever Rock the Dome concert on Feb. 2, UU officials announced Wednesday.

‘This is something we hope will become a new staple concert as well as a new tradition for Syracuse University,’ said Kenny Consor, director of UU concerts.

UU officials created Rock the Dome upon receiving additional programming funding from Student Association last semester. Rock the Dome, to be held in the Carrier Dome on Feb. 2 at 8 p.m., serves as the only other Dome concert along with Block Party.

Consor said students have been very excited to find out the specifics of the concert ever since UU’s initial announcement about Rock the Dome on Dec. 11. As of now, Rock the Dome is a two-act show, and there are no further lineup or concert announcements for the future.

Tickets are $15 for all SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students, faculty and staff during an online-only presale starting at 10 a.m. on Jan. 9 and ending at midnight on Jan. 11. Remaining tickets will be available for students and staff with a valid ID for $15 through the Carrier Dome Box Office and the Schine Box Office.

Tickets for the general public will be sold starting Jan. 13 for $45.

With approximately 10,000 tickets available, the scale of the Rock the Dome event falls between that of Block Party and Juice Jam, Consor said. Last year’s record-breaking Block Party featuring Kid Cudi sold roughly 15,000 tickets, and this year’s record-breaking Juice Jam with headliner B.o.B sold 7,000.

‘Due to the recent successes of (Juice Jam and Block Party) we thought it would be appropriate to add a third large-scale show,’ Consor said.

UU will also introduce another first at Rock the Dome: a general admission standing floor area for students only. An estimated 1,000 students will be able to stand at the front of the stage for the duration of the show, a format never-before utilized at the Carrier Dome, Consor said. Depending on the format’s success, UU will look to extend this new layout into Block Party, Consor said.

The lineup selection was based on the results of UU’s semiannual survey distributed to all students via email. The most recent survey garnered more than 3,000 results, with a majority of respondents marking hip-hop as their preferred genre of music, Consor said.

Rapper Ludacris gained fame after his first major album, ‘Back for the First Time,’ hit No. 4 on the Billboard Music Chart, featuring popular single ‘Southern Hospitality.’ The three-time Grammy winner has released hits such as ‘Stand Up,’ ‘Money Maker’ and ‘Runaway Love.’ Ludacris has appeared in more than 15 films and television shows, including award-winning movies ‘Crash’ and ‘Hustle and Flow.’ His latest album, ‘Ludaversal,’ is set for release early this year.

‘Ludacris is a legacy act in hip-hop,’ Consor said. ‘We are really happy to finally book him up here at Syracuse.’

Rick Ross’ first three albums peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Music Chart beginning with ‘Port of Miami,’ which featured the track ‘Push It.’ Ross founded Maybach Music Group, where he released the compilation album ‘Self Made Vol. 1′ in May 2011, featuring a number of rappers including himself, Wale and Meek Mill. The latter two have performed at SU within the last two years. Ross is slated to release his fifth studio album, called ‘God Forgives, I Don’t,’ in early 2012 and a mixtape titled ‘Rich Forever’ on Jan. 6.

‘It’s very cool that both of these artists have albums coming in early 2012,’ Consor said. ‘Because of that, they have a huge buzz surrounding them right now.’

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Published on January 4, 2012 at 12:00 pm