After many hours of preparation it’s finally time to enjoy Howard University’s 100th Homecoming celebration featuring a collaboration between the school’s talented marching band and legendary hip-hop producer, Just Blaze.
We pick up the HBCU Homecoming series with only a day left before Director of Bands Chancellor Mills gets to prove himself in his first year in the position with the help of more than 100 band members and his staff. “It’s all in the planning, first and foremost,” Mills said in preparation for the event. “We don’t want to throw anything together and just put it out there; it’s huge this year.” As Mills said, the planning is critical, as the pressure of the occasion couldn’t be any higher, with current students and alumni all expecting a great show.
“This performance is just going to signify where this program is,” said Mills. “It’s going to dictate how we’re going to move for the next 3-5 years. It’s significant in terms of what we want to give back to our community.”
Fortunately, the hard work pays off as the band comes out at halftime to give the crowd their best with renditions of hip-hop classics produced by Just Blaze, including Joe Budden’s “Pump it Up” and “What We Do” by Freeway, who appeared to perform the song in-person. “I’ve had my songs played at a million sporting events,” Blaze said of the performance. “This is just kind of a great add-on to that part of the legacy. It sounded amazing.”
As Blaze says in the episode, the party was far from over after the performance. Check out additional footage from the band’s night performance and more to see how the performance was received.
