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.