The crowds at Bulldog Bash will feel the love and grooves of R&B crooners 112 when they perform on the Main Stage at 9:30 tonight. The Atlanta natives, most famous for their 2001 hit “Peaches & Cream,” will perform all their biggest hits, including “Only U,” “Cupid” and their most recent smash “U Already Know.” Recently separated from Diddy’s Bad Boy Label and signed to Def Soul, 112 will be showing off their dancing skills and harmonious pipes to all the fans ready to jam to their bass-heavy hits.
112 is not new to small-town music festivals, saying they got their starts at small-time gigs and prefer getting back to performing for smaller, local crowds before they start their tour.
“112 has been playing bars, bar mitzvahs, anything you can think of since 1996, before people even knew who 112 was,” member Daron said. “We would play anything to get our name out to people. In the future there will be tours, but we’re doing local shows now to get to that fan base that can’t get to our bigger shows.”
When asked whether 112 would sound any different since the split with Bad Boy, they said that they are focused on keeping the hits coming and making music they know the fans will enjoy.
“We’ve been performing for a long time now, around 10 years now,” 112’s Slim said. “So we’re just trying to maintain that consistency of hits for our fans.”
112 also promised a lively show that will leave the audience amazed when it’s all over.
“You can expect a lot of dancing and crowd participation from our show Friday,” member Mike said. “You’re going to feel silly once our show is over with; you’ll definitely get your money’s worth. And one of the things that sets us apart from other groups is that we can really sing and put on a good show for the fans. Our shows are really for lovers to just hold your girl or guy and just feel our music.”
112 hopes its show will bring a much-needed smile to many of the faces of students who have been worn down by the hurricane or school in general. Through their show, they hope to make everyone feel good and leave with a good feeling.
“We really appreciate the opportunity we have to come down and play for people who have been affected by the hurricane,” member Q said. “We want to do as much as we can to hopefully make you feel good for an hour or two to take your mind off everything, and just have a good time. It’s been a hard time and we want to help in any way we can. God bless you all.”
112 definitely has different performers than what students are used to at events like Bulldog Bash, and that’s precisely the reason co-coordinators of Bulldog Bash Lauren Burns and Tyler Wolfe chose the band for Friday night.
“We were looking for an act that would be different than our country headliner,” Wolfe said. “Something for everyone else to listen to besides country and rock.”
“So far I’ve got nothing but positive responses from people,” Burns said. “All I’ve gotten so far from students is ‘O my god, 112 is coming!,’ and that really means a lot to us because it’s not just one group excited about them coming, it’s a lot of different people,” she added.
We’re definitely getting the response that we wanted. And we’re really excited because 112 has been on MTV Cribs; they’ve been on award shows; they’ve done a lot, so to have someone of that caliber come to Starkville says a lot for 112 and Bulldog Bash.”
Burns and Wolfe said they know that they made a good choice in selecting 112 for Bulldog Bash. The constant positive feedback and excitement over their performance lets them know that this Bulldog Bash will be a success.