It’s officially HBCU band season, and these bands are at the heart of HBCU culture. Many universities are known for their renditions of popular Hip-Hop/Rap, R&B, and Pop songs.
A video that surfaced yesterday on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows the Alabama State Mighty Marching Hornets performing Kendrick Lamar's summer hit “Not Like Us” and Future’s “Like That” during HBCU night at an Atlanta Braves game. This makes Alabama State the first HBCU band to showcase this song, per a video from the popular band YouTube Channel Showtime Web.
The tracks are ideal for band performances, featuring prominent horns and heavy bass with a distinctly Californian sound.
These songs gained significant attention this summer, particularly amid the rap feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. “Like That” debuted on producer Metro Boomin’s album “We Don’t Trust You,” featuring Future. The song surprised the rap community with its hidden features upon release.
The track caused a stir when Lamar made a surprise appearance and responded with diss lyrics aimed at Drake. The feud concluded with the release of “Not Like Us” on May 4, which Lamar later performed at his “The Pop Out” show on Juneteenth.
HBCUs became involved in the rap beef after former rapper Joe Budden commented on his The Joe Budden Podcast about the song's potential popularity during football season. “You better thank your ******** heavens up above that it isn’t HBCU season! You better thank God,” Budden said.
Many people have had discourse over the popularity of the song, and how it may be used during games. Many big-name events have already played the diss record such as the NBA Finals, The Democratic National Convention, as well as The Olympics just to name a few.
While Alabama State is the first HBCU to perform “Not Like Us,” Jackson State's Sonic Boom performed their version of “Like That” a few months ago. The question now is which school will be next to play these popular diss tracks, and how soon will every band in the nation join in?
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