On Tuesday Nov. 13, Winthrop University hosted Backseat DJ in Richardson Ballroom as part of the 2018 homecoming festivities. Preliminary details were scarce but the event was billed as a “road trip through time” and that was enough to pique my interest. The event was, according to the host, based on the show “AUX Cord Wars”. The rules were simple enough: A category was announced, three rounds per category, two players per round, each played 30 seconds of a song from their phone, a winner was chosen by audience response, the winner of the previous round would take on a new challenger until the winner of the third round claimed their prize. The first category was “love songs”. This category was returned to later on in the game due to only one round being played for reasons that are unclear. The relatively small audience was fairly quiet and reserved early on. The energy of the crowd steadily rose and eventually reached a fever pitch as the winning song of the “pop music” category came through the speakers. The audience erupted in to an enthusiastic sing-along that continued even after the song stopped playing. That song was none other than the official banger of 2009 – “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus.
“Trap music” was announced as the next category and sparked some controversy. As one contestant played “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame featuring Roscoe Dash and Wale, I recalled some more-or-less fond memories from senior prom. As the 30 seconds of the song came to an end, there was some debate over whether “No Hands” was more of a “trap” song or a “hype” song. Despite being well-equipped to give a detailed analysis on the question at hand, I refrained from participating in any manner in an attempt to maintain journalistic objectivity.
Eventually it came down to the four winners from the categories that had been played through. The host of the event informed the crowd that the game was going in to “king of the hill”. The four remaining players faced off in elimination rounds in the categories of “90s songs” and “best T.V. theme song” until only one player was left standing. Backseat DJ proved to be a high energy event. The audience cheered, danced and sang along to songs by artists and musical groups ranging from Three 6 Mafia to Beyoncé to Snoop Dogg. Only time will tell if this event becomes a staple of Winthrop’s homecoming week events.
