Get ready to put on those headphones, strut down UNLV’s Academic Mall, and dance like no one is looking in Pida Plaza — courtesy of the specially curated UNLV Back to School playlist on Spotify.
KUNV Radio’s student DJs assembled the mix of hip hop, indie, classic rock, and pop to capture the mood of campus, impart some wisdom to fellow Rebels, or honor our history. Of course, The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” is a nod to UNLV alumnus Ronnie Vannucci, who used to sneak his band into Ham Fine Arts for practice before they achieved international success.
DJ Monserrath Hernandez chose Blink 182’s “Going Away to College,” to send a message to incoming students. It’s a 1999 song about a boyfriend writing to his girlfriend at the end of high school. “I thought it was a really good way to start off the semester. It’s my last year here so the song is bittersweet,” said Hernandez, a journalism major who manages KUNV’s The Rebel-HD2 station and hosts the show “Los Punks.”
She rounded out the playlist with the last song, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses because she hopes students know “everything will be OK” whenever they face challenges.
Isaiah Thomas, a junior journalism major, selected “Loyalty” by Kendrick Lamar featuring Rihanna. Thomas is the host of “Rebel Rebound” on The Rebel-HD2 and appreciates Lamar’s talent to tell stories through his lyrics and calls him the “best in the game.”
“I close my eyes and I can feel the bass of the music,” Thomas said. He also chose Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” for anyone commuting to campus. (Write’s note: please exercise safe driving measures if deciding to embark on carpool karaoke to “Bohemian Rhapsody” or anything by Queen – just saying).
Laurents Banuelos-Benite, a graduate student in journalism, picked New Found Glory’s “My Friends Over You,” from the album “Sticks and Stones.”
“It’s one of my favorite songs, favorite bands. It’s my go-to- album for a lot of things,” Banuelos-Benite said. “It’s about sticking with people who came up with you, who have been there to support you.”
The student DJs also asked Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Dean Robert. R. Ulmer to select a song. Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road,” he said, “is about setting out on a new course in life and the opportunities, and the uncertainties that come with it.” In other words, it’s about making your way as a Rebel.
