Halftime By Uproxx And State Farm

Watch Just Blaze & Freeway Bring Huge Roc-A-Fella Energy To Howard’s 100th Homecoming Halftime

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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.

Howard University Ushers In A New Era With A Just Blaze-Inspired Halftime Show

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As Howard University’s 100th Homecoming celebration gets closer, pressure to put on a spotlight-stealing show and live up to the legacy of legendary hip-hop producer, Just Blaze, begins to weigh on the “Showtime” Marching Band and Director Chancellor Mills.

“Make me look good,” Blaze pleads with the band, who look exhausted from rigorous practice in the second video of the Howard Halftime series above. But they are determined to make the mogul proud, one up their rivals, and bring the school’s band program into a new era. Though the reaction to the planned performance is mostly love, Mills has gotten a bit of trepidation from alums worried about “protecting certain traditions.” He’s not deterred though, “This yields an opportunity to say ‘Look, I got it.’”

Blaze, on the other hand, couldn’t be more excited about the collab. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life, and didn’t even realize it until now.” He’s not the only person thoroughly anticipating a great performance. Denise Saunders Thompson, Assistant Dean to the Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts, takes time out of her busy schedule to meet Mills, Blaze, and the band on the field to complement and encourage their progress. “Were gonna break the internet with this performance,” she tells the group, hoping to manifest this new standard-setting moment with her words.

Check out this and future installments of the series to see if the dream becomes reality.

Hip-Hop Icon Just Blaze Is Teaming With Howard’s Marching Band To Blow Out Their 100th Homecoming

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With Howard University celebrating its 100th Homecoming celebration in 2024, Director of Bands Chancellor Mills was searching for the perfect opportunity to impact the program in his first year on the job.

College bands are equal parts technical exhibition and pageantry and HBCUs like Howard are well known for consistently raising the bar with their “Showtime” Marching Band playing everything from Thanksgiving Day Parades to NFL games to Presidential inaugurations. But how high could they go for the 100th? Enter legendary hip-hop producer Just Blaze and UPROXX, who teamed with Mills to find out in a new series made possible by State Farm.

As you can see in the first episode which kicks off the series, Mills is feeling the pressure at the start of this mission. “You only get one chance to do the 100th,” he tells our cameras. But with Just Blaze supplying a brilliant blend of bombastic beats, the big band horns and chattering tenor drum sets ease any nervousness.

Even a seasoned icon like Just Blaze – who has worked with everyone from JAY Z to to Eminem to Beyonce – is pumped to see his hits reimagined in such a unique way, telling us that this collab was something his music was made for. See for yourself and keep an eye out for further installments in this series as Mills, Just Blaze, and the Howard band amaze and astonish.