A Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist will be taking the stage at Diddle Arena on April 12 at 7 p.m.

Wale, the “Lotus Flower Bomb” rapper, has released two albums: “Attention Deficit” and “Ambition”. His next album “The Gifted” will be out June 25.

South Africa, Johannesburg sophomore Karema Bwerevu said she’s excited to see Wale and will be getting her tickets for the concert soon.

“I’m glad he’s coming down,” she said. “He has a way with words; it’s inspiring.”

Bwerevu said he seems humble because he raps about his life, and it’s not always about drugs and money.

“We need more entertainment here, because I feel like we don’t have the money like bigger universities who bring bigger artists,” she said.

She said she likes Wale’s new single “Bad” because it’s a real song about real situations.

Louisville junior Paige Freeman said she looks forward to hearing him perform “Bad,” as it’s currently her favorite song.

“I’m happy that another hip-hop artist is coming here,” she said. “I really enjoy his music.”

Freeman said she’s confident that he’ll be a great performer and will “put on a show.”

Nashville junior Tim Cato said although Wale is a good artist, he won’t be attending the concert.

“I just don’t feel like spending the money,” he said. “I’d rather spend it on something more beneficial.”

Cato said he’s met Wale in person and talked to him, and that he’s “real down to earth.”

The Campus Activities Board is sponsoring the concert. Jeffersonville, Ind. sophomore Jacarri Fitzpatrick, CAB’s concert chair, said it’s been a back-and-forth process with picking the date, seeing if the venue and artist are available and if they’re in the price range.

“It’s a very lengthy process,” she said. “Our advisor told us that if we do country in the fall, we’re going to be able to get an urban artist in the spring.”

She said Wale was chosen because he seemed like an excellent artist, and they wanted to bring somebody big to the area.

The preparation for the concert was a group effort from the leadership team to make this concert a success.

“We had to plan this concert in such a short time frame,” she said. “We’re really pushed for time as far as the planning process goes.”

She said she hopes bringing this artist opens the door to having a wider variety of artists.

“I know Wale is a great performer, I’ve heard great things about his live performances,” she said.

She said budgeting was a huge thing for the event. Fitzpatrick said people ridicule CAB for the artists that they choose, but that CAB has to pick the people they can based on the budget they have.

Fitzpatrick said she hopes for a big turnout at the concert.

“I want mainly for campus to have fun,” she said. “I want us to continue to bring urban artists here along with country artists.”