City announces Spa-Con lineup
Rapper Froggy Fresh concert to get event started Sept. 21
HOT SPRINGS — YouTube sensation and comedic rapper Froggy Fresh will kick off the annual Spa-Con with a concert and opening ceremony Sept. 21.
The star will be accompanied by his sidekick, Money Maker Mike, for the show.
“This year in searching for our entertainment, Mr. Fresh and his camp just happened to send a random email to us, and we thought he would be perfect,” said Bill Solleder, marketing director for Visit Hot Springs. “And you know, about a year or so ago, he actually played here at Low Key Arts, and that show sold out in advance without any advertisement.”
Froggy Fresh — formerly known as Krispy Kreme — is an American rapper who became known after uploading his music video, “The Baddest,” to YouTube. The video had 11 million views.
He now has more than 600,000 subscribers and 86 million views on YouTube.
The rapper has performed worldwide, including at the Salt Lake Comic Con in Utah, and he is set to play at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July.
“For Spa-Con to be in the company of two of the largest conventions in the country is really something,” Solleder said. “Some people might ask ‘Why Froggy Fresh?’ But SpaCon is a multi-genre comics and pop culture convention. If you look around the country, he’s become a part of pop culture.”
Froggy Fresh will join The Munsters star Butch Patrick and actress Pam Grier, who became a star in what were known as “Blaxploitation” movies in the 1970s and 1980s, as headliners at the convention. The rapper will also participate in a panel discussion titled “Becoming a YouTube Sensation.”
“There is nothing too serious about Froggy Fresh. It’s just plain fun,” Solleder said.
Other celebrity guests include Sean Maher, star of the movie Serenity and the TV shows Firefly and Arrow; Arvell Jones, a renowned illustrator for Marvel Comics; Nightingale Vixen, the well-known cosplay performer; and Veronica Taylor, a voice actress who is the voice of Ash Ketchum from Pokemon.
Spa-Con is presented by Visit Hot Springs and the Garland County Library, and will be held at the Hot Springs Convention Center from Sept. 21-23. Activities will include laser tag, an escape room, video games, panel discussions, workshops, cosplay contests and interaction with the celebrity guests throughout the weekend.
The convention, now in its third year, has annually drawn more than 5,000 people to the city.