Step foot on The Yard at any time, and what do you hear? Maybe a strong bass line hits your ears. Perhaps you walk into Armour J.Blackburn or Bethune Annex Cafe and hear people singing “Love” by Keyshia Cole in line for Soul-Food Thursday.
Conversations with students reveal three genres stand out on campus: hip-hop, R&B and pop. Yet, Howard University’s relationship with Black music predates the current sound of today.
Claire Keenan, a junior marketing major, from Champaign, Illinois connects her musical memories at Howard to R&B, particularly Stevie Wonder’s “Summer Soft”
“It talks about the changing seasons; the song reminds me that Howard is an incredibly beautiful place with so many opportunities to enjoy. It’s bittersweet as I reflect upon my time here,” Keenan said.
The music we associate with Howard become more than just songs — they become the soundtrack to our lives.
Another sound echoing across campus is rooted in one of hip-hop’s subgenres — Christian hip-hop.
For Lion Clarke, a junior TV and Film major from Pompano Beach, Florida, Christian hip-hop became part of his personal soundtrack because it offers “high-energy beats,” with “relatable lyrical content.” He said the subgenre maintains the beats and energy of mainstream hip-hop while offering lyrical themes of faith that resonate with him on a deeper level.
Howard’s soundtrack today has strong institutional roots, with on-campus sites that broadcast our sound throughout the Mecca. In 1971, WHUR became one of the nation’s first Black-focused radio stations. It also provided Howard students with opportunities to participate in broadcast production while bringing R&B to the greater Washington, D.C., area.
The 1970s and 80s laid the foundation; by the 1990s, hip-hop had begun turning up the volume, becoming an increasingly prominent part of Howard’s musical identity.
In the Fall 2023 issue of Howard Magazine, Howard alum and award-winning journalist Tracy Hopkins identified the 1990s as the “Golden Age of Hip-Hop.” During that time hip-hop and Howard became deeply intertwined, serving a space where aspiring artists could develop their careers.
“Howard was an incubator for people who were trying to make it in entertainment and hip-hop music,” said Tracey Lee, a Howard alum, rapper and entertainment lawyer when reflecting on that era.
The magazine also highlights the “eclectic” mix of sounds that filled The Yard — from political rap and party anthems to New Jack Swing, Native Tongues and Miami bass — a musical diversity that mirrors Howard’s equally diverse student population. Yet, hip-hop was more than something heard across the Yard, it was energy students could experience up close.
Through the student-run radio station WHBC, became a space where hip-hop artists connected directly with the Howard community. Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, Special Ed and Third Base were among the artists who visited the station. According to The Dig, Howard students helped curate the university’s first annual hip-hop conference, now the conference is led by faculty and still coordinated by students.
Students were not just listening to hip-hop; they were helping create the platforms where the culture could grow. Howard students became participants in shaping the conversation around hip-hop itself.
Homecoming has continued this tradition, bringing together artists across the hip-hop and R&B genres. In 2016, Howard hosted hip-hop rap artist Common as well as 90s R&B singer Faith Evans.
In recent years, Homecoming’s performers have increasingly reflected the evolution and overlap between the two genres. Victoria Monét’s performance in 2023 highlighted her blend of hip-hop and R&B influences. Leon Thomas followed in 2024 with his alternative R&B sound. Music changes as the times change — and so do you, from your first year on campus to your last.
Today, Howard’s soundtrack doesn’t just reflect its historical musical connections; it also makes room for pop music. Aarin Oyedeji, a freshman Afro-American studies major from Washington, D.C. said that “Soaked” by Shy Smith is the track she listens to while getting ready to take on the day on campus.
Oyedeji represents the shift that new generations are bringing to Howard’s soundtrack.
From WHUR’s R&B programming and WHBC’s hip-hop history to today’s genre-blurring playlist, Howard’s soundtrack has never stayed stagnant. A single genre doesn’t define our soundtrack; it is shaped by generations of students who take the music of their moment and make it part of The Yard. The times may change, but the tradition stays the same. Each generation adds its own track to Howard’s playlist.
Copy edited by Jori Johnson
