Hip-hop legend GZA will headline Spring Fling on Andrus Field on Wednesday, May 7. Also playing will be The Hold Steady and Cool Kids. DJ duo The Hood Internet will spin between sets.

“I’m really excited about this lineup, it all fell into place,” said Social Committee member Max Horwich ’08. “I’m more excited about this lineup than I have been any other year.”

GZA, a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, will be performing his landmark 1995 album “Liquid Swords” in its entirety, an album that Jeff Weiss of LA Weekly recently called “a perfect crystallization of the Clan’s weird, wise alchemy of kung fu, Five Percenter slang, comics, chess and criminology raps.”

“We’ve had hip hop acts in the past that were disappointing, like a few years ago when Talib Kweli only played like three songs and left,” said Social Committee member Ethan Berger ’10. “Well, that’s not going to happen with this show. I’ve seen GZA perform with the Wu-Tang before and believe me, he is one of the best rappers out there, period.”

Brooklyn-based Twin City transplants The Hold Steady will also play. The rock outfit’s acclaimed 2006 album “Boys and Girls in America” was one of Rolling Stone’s top ten albums that year, and frontman Craig Finn has been hailed by Pitchfork Media as “one of the best writers in rock, demonstrating grit and spunk and wit and intelligence in each track.”

“I’ve seen the Hold Steady a few times and they put on one of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen,” Horwich said.

Chicago retro-rap duo Cool Kids, who (along with Wesleyan heroes MGMT) were recently named one of Rolling Stone’s “Ten Artists to Watch,” have described themselves as “the black Beastie Boys.”

“Cool Kids have received tons of hype,” Berger said. “They’re about to get really, really big, and we’re getting them right before their album comes out.”

Building on last year’s successful decision to have DJ sets between acts, DJ duo The Hood Internet will spin between acts.

“Instead of listening to Creed or Counting Crows between each set, we’ll skip the usual lulls and maintain the awesomeness indefinitely,” said Social Committee member Derek Silverman ’09. “These guys are at the forefront of nasty mash-ups, everything from Lil’ Kim vs. MGMT to Juvenile vs. Portishead—they rarely miss. Everyone should be listening to them right now.”

In addition to these acts, the Social Committee will select one student band to open the day’s festivities from a Battle of Bands showcase that will be held at Eclectic on May 25.

According to Tim Shiner, this year’s Spring Fling, which is funded by the Student Budgetary Committee, will cost about $56,000, with about $40,000 paying for talent and the rest divided among setup, security, and cleanup costs, as well as the day’s annual all-campus barbeque.

As in previous years, an outside vendor will be checking IDs and giving wristbands to students of legal drinking age. Upholstered furniture will be banned from the hill.

After a year of planning the event, the Social Committee is excited about the lineup they have secured, and hope that it provides something for everyone on campus.

“Ultimately there are always bands you consider bringing and you have trouble getting them, but this lineup covers a lot of bases,” Berger said. “So many people on campus love these acts already.”