2007 MEAC Basketball Tournament Breaks New Ground With the MEAC Music Pass

[Raleigh, NC]- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced today the creation of the MEAC Music Pass, a major addition to the 2007 Basketball Tournament entertainment lineup. The pass, which is included at no extra charge in the ticket price for individual games and ticket books, will highlight artists at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC/Wake County immediately following select tournament games. Headliners include SWV, Urban Mystic, and a surprise celebrity performance.
“We’ve added a new dimension this year with the music pass, fulfilling our promise to make 2007 the biggest tournament in MEAC history,” said Dr. Dennis Thomas, MEAC Commissioner. “Through these three concerts, free with admission to the games, these stars will capture the spirit of the tournament, while each adding a unique element. We’re so pleased that our partnership with these artists will bring the MEAC Music Pass to life.”

The acts included in the MEAC Music Pass will hold performances beginning on Thursday, March 8, 2007 and continue through the finals on Saturday, March 10. SWV kicks of the MEAC Music Pass on Thursday night. Urban Mystic performs immediately following the games on Friday night, and a surprise celebrity guest will close out the tournament after the championship games on Saturday night. For more information, please visit www.meachoops.com.

About the Performers:
SWV - (performs Thursday, March 8) is an all girl trio that burst onto the music scene in 1992. Their debut album release, It’s About Time, went double platinum in the first year, and ended up with triple-platinum status. Their top-10 Billboard singles included “I’m So Into You” and “Weak” which remained at #1 for two weeks. From there, the group went to win numerous music awards, and performed on a sold-out tour with
LL Cool J and Naughty by Nature. In later years, SWV still produced hits, with #1 singles like “Rain”, which was recently sampled by rapper Chingy in his hit “Calling Me Back.” SWV performed on the New Jack Swing Reunion Tour in 2006 and is expected to release their fifth album in 2007.

Urban Mystic - (performs Friday, March 9th) is a 21-year-old artist with the soul and flavor of old school classic rhythm and blues artists Al Green and Bobby Womack, to whom he is often compared. Growing up, Urban spent every weekend singing in his church, a tradition he practices today. From Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Urban Mystic mixes hip flavor with southern style in his first two albums, Ghetto Revelations I and II. The 2004 Miami Music Awards voted him “Best New Artist,” and has since worked with famed producers Kay Gee and Scott Storch. His single “It’s You,” off his second album, hit the #1 spot on the Billboard’s R&B singles chart for seven weeks. His latest ambition led him to tour with Angie Stone.

About the MEAC Basketball Tournament
The MEAC Basketball Tournament involves 11 Division I historically black colleges and universities located across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman College, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and South Carolina State University.

The tournament is played in Raleigh (Wake County) through 2008. Both the men’s and women’s tournament champion receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tickets are available at www.meachoops.com, through Ticketmaster outlets nationwide, at MEAC School Box Offices and at the RBC Center Box Office.

CONTACT: Jim Tobin
January 22, 2007 919-719-8982

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