It was recently announced that the Dave Matthews Band had helped organized a peace rally concert for the students of Virginia Tech on September 6. Some family members of the victims of the April 16 shooting rampage on the school's campus have voiced their objection to Nas performing as part of the rally.

Vincent J. Bove, a security expert who is speaking on behalf of the offended parties, explained that Nas' sometimes-violent lyrics didn't exactly match the aims of the rally. He summed up their stance to the WashingtonPost.com today: "For a university official to condone it or to be clueless of what this person's track record is, it's unconscionable beyond belief."

Alicia Farrell, the sister of student Jarrett Lane who was killed in the shooting, told the Post that it wasn't necessarily Nas who was offensive, just the context of his performance: "My issue is not with Nas or his lyrics in any other place, but this is an opportunity for healing in the community. It's the most inappropriate thing I could imagine hearing at such an event."

University officials claimed that response to the lineup has been overwhelmingly positive and that they don't plan on changing it. Also scheduled to play are John Mayer, Phil Vassar and the Dave Matthews Band themselves.