Street-wear inspired fashion company, Downtown Locker Room (DTLR) stopped by Howard University for its annual HBCU college tour for a pre-show of the Harvard vs. Howard football game. The concert featured upcoming hip-pop artists Kali and King Combs.
The night started with an interactive hype-man battle. Five girls from the crowd were chosen to compete against each other to see who would get the students more hyped. Songs that generally play at an HBCU, like “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill, were played during the battle.
Victoria Steele, a sophomore speech pathology major from New York, was one of the participants in the contest and enjoyed the sense of community the contest created.
“Everyone was vibing with everyone, and overall it was a great time,” Steele said. “My favorite part of the whole night was when I could go on stage and compete against some of my classmates.”
Students from all classes came out for the event thrown by the Undergraduate Student Assembly (UGSA). Other artists like Philly Goats and upcoming artist Jourdine Pauline were also in the building.
Fandango Dajuice, an on-air personality for DTLR, was also one of the primary hosts for the event. He stated that DTLR wanted to ensure the students related to the artists who performed.
“King Combs was one of the hottest upcoming artists, so we know everybody would be excited about him, and he did a great job at the other schools… everybody seemed to love good old Kali; she was a fan favorite as well,” Dajuice said. “We wanted to try to get honest with the demo that we were at, so we know Lil Baby and Durk, but we want them to take the kids a little more than that, and we knew those artists that are on the come up would appreciate it more.”
During her visit at Howard, Kali got the opportunity to speak with some students from the Warner Music and Blavatnik Center for Music Business. This program allows students to learn about the possible careers they can have in the music industry and also helps them gain connections.
Janetlynn Hopson, a senior marketing major from Minnesota, explained how her goal is to start a career in brand partnerships. She shared that she wants to advocate for artists’ trademarks and rights/intellectual property. She was grateful that Kali and her team stopped by to offer some advice about the industry.
“Meeting Kali and her team was impactful for me because it allowed me to gain insight into the day-to-day tasks of an artist and, specifically, the team that puts it together,” Hopson said. “Seeing Black artists and business partners run the show successfully from my point of view was empowering, and I’m filled with gratitude.”
Copy edited by Alana Matthew
