If you don’t recognize the name, you’re not the only one, but you might be more successful racking your brain for his lyrics: “You got designer shades just to hide your face/You wear ‘em around like you’re cooler than me.”

According to Billboard.com, Mike Posner’s “Cooler Than Me” spent 12 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 in July 2010, peaking at No. 6.

Joe Carr, box office manager, said more than 1,000 tickets were sold by Thursday morning for Saturday’s concert at 7 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center featuring Mike Posner and the Brain Trust with special guest Wale.

Freshman mathematics major Kelly Keefe and freshman psychology major Hannah Magid were two students who recognized Posner’s lyrics rather than his name. Keefe and Magid said they think there may have been a better choice for the first performer of the semester, but they will probably go.

Senior crafts major Bethany Thomas said she doesn’t plan to attend. “I’m not too into a lot of mainstream music,” said Thomas. “So if I do go to a concert, most of the time it’s something that’s a little more abstract.”

According to his “31 Minutes to Takeoff” album biography, Posner, a fellow Midwesterner, grew up in Michigan but after graduating high school moved to Durham, N.C. to attend Duke University. Although Posner studied sociology and business, it did not extinguish his long-time love for music.

“In March 2009,” says the album bio, “Posner released his first dorm-room recorded mixtape … by exploiting a loophole in the iTunesU software, which allows professors to post their lectures for free download.” Eventually the mix tape reached No. 1 on iTunesU, and its success led to Posner signing with J Records the summer after his junior year.

Posner graduated early in December 2009 with a 3.59 GPA, but he walked in May 2010 with his class, just a day after performing in Los Angeles with Drake.

Jeff Hammond, Undergraduate Student Government director of programming, said the same agent representing Bruno Mars, who performed on campus for Flash Fest in May, approached Kent State about Posner. Hammond said he remembered hearing requests from students for Posner before, so when the opportunity presented itself, he made it happen.

Wale is also a name Hammond has heard many requests for, so when he saw that Wale and Posner have previously worked together, Hammond contacted Wale.

Hammond thought the two artists would be good because they’d both bring different crowds, “and they ended up actually being good friends, so they’re both on board,” said Hammond.

Carmen Bonamico, freshman athletic training major, said “I mean, there is always music you like that you might prefer more, but for who they got, it’s not bad.”

Freshman Mark Loren agreed.

“For fifteen bucks I would see Mike Posner,” Loren said. “That’s a good deal.”

Contact Brittany Hill at [email protected].