iHeartMedia’s sold-out Big Jam concert was held on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the United Center, hosted by 107.5 WGCI, Chicago’s #1 Station for Hip-Hop and R&B, and Get Covered Illinois. Nearly 13,000 spectators attended to kick off the holiday season. Moneybagg Yo, Nardo Wick, Glorilla, Saucy Santana, Muni Long, Tink, PGF Nuk, Sonta, and SleazyWorld Go were among the performers on the bill.
“107.5 WGCI’s Big Jam has become one of Chicago’s premiere concerts, which our listeners look forward to attending every December,” said Johnnie D, Program Director for 107.5 WGCI. “We take pride in producing an incredible show of top-flight talent and connecting with our listening audience in a very organic way. However, the most important aspect of this show is our Adopt-A-School Program. This year, we donated $8,000 to Johnson Elementary School and $5,000 to Scott Joplin Elementary School.”
iHeartMedia In 2017, after visiting Scott Joplin Elementary School in Chicago’s South Side and learning more about the students’ urgent need for music development, Region President Matt Scarano and other iHeartMedia executives committed support to the institution. This was the beginning of Chicago’s Adopt-A-School Program. Since then, $1 from the sale of each ticket to WGCI’s two annual signature concerts, Summer Jam and Big Jam, has been given to the school to support the creation of a formal music curriculum, honoring the school’s founding father and namesake, the renowned composer and pianist known as “the king of ragtime.”
Scott Joplin Elementary will continue to receive a yearly $5,000 grant from ticket sales from iHeartMedia Chicago. Johnson Elementary School on the West Side of Chicago was added to the Adopt-A-School Program in 2021 and will use the donated funds from ticket sales to start a music, art, or theater program. The academic program at Johnson Elementary School is dedicated to giving kids the knowledge and abilities they need to succeed in school and life. The school will be able to offer kids an artistic curriculum that will enhance their lives and communities with the aid of iHeartMedia Chicago.
“Our partnership with these two schools underscores iHeart’s commitment to our local communities,” said Matt Scarano, President of iHeartMedia Chicago. “Scott Joplin Elementary School and Johnson Elementary School represent the future of Chicago. We’re very proud to provide them with the music learning resources they need, so that our city’s future remains bright and artistically rich.”
