By Chuck Furlong

An international line-up of musicians came to NYU to raise money for earthquake victims in Haiti.

On February 23, the Student Senators Council hosted NYU Students for Haiti: A Benefit Concert at the Skirball Center. The featured acts included Ghanaian Blitz the Ambassador, rapper Nyle, and the headliner, Grammy nominated Katia Cadet. The proceeds were donated to UNICEF.

Senator at-large Mustfa Manzur organized the concert. He said he was the only student senator in New York City when the earthquake hit Haiti on January 12.

Manzur said that one of the first questions he asked was, “How do we organize the student clubs to raise money?”

“We researched the big charities,” said Manzur. “There aren’t enough direct-to-Haiti funds.”

He said that they didn’t want proceeds being diverted to operating and advertising costs. They decided on UNICEF’s direct-to-Haiti fund because approximately 90 percent of the money donated goes straight to Haiti. In total, the concert raised almost $1500.

“However!” Manzur said in an email, “We did raise over $4000 dollars in corporate donations to put together the concert, which we will try to donate as well.”

As for the event, senator at-large Chirag Hirawat said that they decided to organize a concert, because it generates donations and is a good time for everyone.

He said the council reached out to all the NYU interns they knew at music venues and other music businesses.

“It was really grassroots,” Manzur said.

But, Hirawat said, “It was tough to get exactly what we wanted.”

The student senators were in a race against the news cycle, and, on that Tuesday night, the weather as well. Manzur said they had sold more tickets than the actual attendance, but people didn’t come because of the rain.

In spite of the rain, the concert raised almost $1500.

“However!” Manzur said in an email, “We did raise over $4000 dollars in corporate donations to put together the concert, which we will try to donate as well.”

Despite the small group of attendees, the musicians still put on a great show.

Rapper K Bain, who is from Brooklyn, opened the concert. He worked hard to warm up such a small crowd. Like all good groups of college students, the audience had congregated mostly in the back of the theater, leaving the front rows nearly empty. But at the end of his set, he was able to say that he was glad to see good people out for a good cause.

Blitz the Ambassador, from Accra, Ghana, and his backing band, the Embassy Ensemble, followed, jump-starting the audience with their unique blend of sound.

“This is hip-hop music, not a frickin’ recital,” he said, encouraging the crowd to stand up.

The band combines funk, hip-hop, and jazz (just to name a few styles) with traditional Ghanaian music, including a rap in the singer’s native language. Afrobeat could describe their style, but they have a distinctly 21st-century tone to their sound and political message. Blitz the Ambassador sang, rapped, and played djembe, while his Embassy Ensemble and a video screen played in the background, creating a multi-sensory experience that brought the audience to its feet.

With the crowd standing, NYU alum Nyle prepared to perform. His band, the Naysayers, took the stage, while he entered from the back of the auditorium. As he took the stage, he encouraged the audience to come forward. Many moved forward several rows, emerging from the shadow of the balcony.

When the headliner, Katia Cadet, took the stage, her performance style was distinct from the opening acts. While jazz and hip-hop influences were easily detectable in each of the acts, Cadet’s performance had a more laid-back, soulful feel,

Cadet said that she would describe it as “PopUrbanWorld.”

“But only if you have to put it into a genre,” she said.

One of her opening numbers was a cover of “What’s Going On?” by Marvin Gaye. She said she picked that song because of the relevance to the concert’s purpose.

“‘What’s Going On?’ is always relatable,” Cadet said after the performance.

Later in her performance she covered another song, “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper.

“The lyrics are dead-on,” she said. “They’re about lending a hand.”

The most relevant part of her performance, though, exhibited a strong Caribbean influence. Reggae, tango, and other styles of the region were evident in her songs. She debuted her new song “Lan Mo Devan M,” which she sings in Creole.

Cadet was personally affected by the earthquake. She was born in Haiti, and though she grew up in Montreal, Canada, she still has family on the island. Cadet said that she lost two uncles in the earthquake. A third uncle lost everything, she said.

After hearing about the earthquake Cadet said she dropped everything to promote aid for Haiti, including organizing a tour.

“Turnout has been pretty, pretty good,” she said, “but it’s starting to slow.”