Kansas Athletics has announced that Nelly, a three-time Grammy Award-winning rap superstar, will headline the 40th Annual Late Night in the Phog presented by Hy-Vee and Adidas on Friday, Oct. 18, in Allen Fieldhouse.
An annual event dating back to 1985, Late Night in the Phog features music by the KU pep band, routines from KU’s spirit squad and dance teams and video highlights from KU’s award-winning Rock Chalk Video department, coach and player introductions, scrimmages, and much more, according to a press release from the University.
“Fusing musical genres, and engaging in multiple entertainment mediums including music, television, and film, Nelly has continuously raised the bar for the entertainment industry since stepping on the scene in 2000 with his distinctive vocals and larger-than-life personality,” a release from KU reads.
“An entrepreneur, philanthropist, and actor, Nelly strives to be a trailblazer and to be the first to make his mark in every category such as being the first hip hop artist to blur the musical genres of Hip Hop and Country with the chart-topping hit Over and Over with Tim McGraw. He was also the first HipHop artist?to accompany the?most prestigious orchestras including St. Louis, Columbus and Pittsburgh, again blending musical styles and garnering great reviews.“
Late Night in the Phog is one of the most well-attended season kick-off events in all of college basketball. Every year, fans can gather to get a look at the Jayhawks ahead of the upcoming season. However, it hasn’t always been the hit celebration that it is today.
By all accounts, it began pretty much by accident. According to the KU release, around 6,000 fans, mostly students, gathered in Allen Fieldhouse at 12:01 a.m. on a Tuesday in October in 1985 for the inaugural “Late Night with Larry Brown.”
“Brown was in the process of building the team that would make it to the Final Four in Dallas that March, eventually winning the national championship two years later under the moniker ‘Danny and the Miracles,'” the release continues.
“Little did Brown know that in the 39 years after his brainchild barely registered a blip on the radar, Late Night in the Phog would become a cornerstone of one of the most successful and fanatically-followed basketball programs in the nation.”
