Homecoming season is here, and I decided to kick it off at North Carolina A&T’s GHOE (Greatest Homecoming on Earth). NCAT is the largest historically Black university in the country, and the number one HBCU in the state. As expected, students, alumni and visitors packed out every event in the weeklong celebration, and the concert was no exception.
NCAT has hosted some of the most popular acts in music since the ‘70s. Past artists include James Brown, Queen Latifah, Tupac, Outkast, Drake, Nicki Minaj and the Migos. The Aggie Homecoming Concert was held at the Greensboro Coliseum on November 4th. The show featured artists Summer Walker, Lil Durk, Flo Milli, Coco Jones and YTB Fatt.
Upcoming rapper YTB Fatt was the first to perform. The rapper, who started music in 2019, gained popularity by signing to Moneybagg Yo’s label Bread Gang Enterprises in 2022 according to Genius. He started his set with a highly inaudible performance of his hit song, “Get Back,” followed by a few other singles.
I found YTB Fatt’s opener lacking due to his mumble-rap style and stage theatrics. It was also off-putting when he referred to the women in the audience with the “B” word multiple times (“Where my bad b*tches at?”). Strip club horns blasted every five minutes, and the set could have greatly benefited from closed captioning on the jumbotron.
I give the rapper props, however, for attempting to hype up the audience after the show started 30 minutes late. His set lasted about 10 minutes, and afterward, everyone, myself included, waited in anticipation for the next act.
R&B singer Coco Jones was the next artist to perform. It’s been a big year in music for her, with the success of the single “ICU” from the 2022 album, “What I Didn’t Tell You.”
Jones went viral in 2020 after posting a YouTube video revealing the struggles she has experienced pursuing a singing career. At 15 years old, she signed to Disney’s label, Hollywood Records, but they dropped her the following year. Jones said in her viral YouTube video, the label claimed they “didn’t know what to do with her,” referring to her soulful voice and style. However, it was clear to Jones that this was just an excuse to snub her for more “marketable” white Disney Channel stars with less musical talent.
Jones’ success is a testament to the timelessness of R&B as a genre.
Jones dazzled the crowd with her powerful, buttery vocals. The rifts and runs were placed perfectly in each song, and there was minimal backtracking, allowing Jones’s voice to shine. She performed a medley of songs from her last album, including “Plan B,” “Double Back,” “No Chaser,” “Crazy for Me,” and “ICU.”
Halfway through her set, Jones stopped to thank everyone for the love, and for “rocking with her since she was a little kid.”
One of the things I’ve taken away from GHOE is the intense support that people have for their HBCUs. Like Coco Jones, HBCUs have been ignored and underestimated for PWIs (Predominately White Institutions) for years. It was so touching seeing Jones blow up on the music and television scene again, choosing to perform in front of her day-one fans.
To end her performance, Jones serenaded a male audience member on stage with the help of her talented backup dancers. The final song was a remix of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” into “Crazy For Me”.
Flo Milli was next after a 20 minute intermission. She came out asserting her dominance with a performance of “Flo Milli” which samples Lil Wayne’s “A Milli.” Each of her songs packed a punch, with a simultaneous bubbly and aggressive flow complementing the clever lyricism. Flo’s set also had strong overtones of female empowerment as she made sure to hype up the women in the crowd before introducing the next song. The set list included “Like that B*tch,” “Conceited,” “Fruit Loop,” “Bedtime” and “One Margarita.”
Like Coco Jones, Milli shouted out to her day-one fans and surprised the audience by debuting an unreleased song to end her set.
Next came the climax of the night: Summer Walker’s performance. Ms. Walker had the longest intermission break, nearing 40 minutes. However, it was worth it for the excited crowd. Behind me, a group of people held up a handmade sign reading, “We Love you, Summer Walker!”
Summer walked out into a diamond theme set on a raised stage, accompanied by dancers and a live jazz band. The R&B diva has an infamous reputation for lackluster performances, but to my surprise, Summer’s stage presence truly improved with the help of creative director Teyana Taylor. She was able to pull it off with minimal movement and stunning vocals.
Her performance had two parts.
In the first half, she sang hits “Playing Games,” “Body,” Karma,” “Riot,” and “Constant Bullsh*t.” Summer moved around the stage gracefully, complemented by background dancers. Her best moments happened as she stood on the platform while the audience belted out her hits alongside her.
Next, there was a short intermission with visuals from Walker’s latest album, “Clear 2: Soft Life EP” and “To Summer, from Cole” playing over it.
The second half kicked off with a costume change, where Summer switched from a crystallized, nude bodysuit to a white bra with an underbust corset, a white high-slit skirt, and white thigh-high boots. Part two had songs “Girls Need Love,” “Unloyal,” “No Love” and “Set Him Up.”
Lil Durk was the last performer to end the night. Stagehands cleared the stage for his set, removing any platforms and props. The rapper opted for a spacious area to invite his posse on stage, which included 10 of his close friends, two children and four guest rappers, including an encore from YTB Fatt.
Honestly, I’m not a big Durk fan, and I recognize less of his discography compared to the other three mainstream artists that night. Durk performed “Ahhh Ha,” “Turkey Season,” “Back in Blood” and “Crazy Story.”
Durk did minimal rapping through each of his songs, often saying a few verses and letting the backtrack carry the rest. The crowd, however, seemed unslighted and rapped along word for word.
The best part of his set was his performance of “All My Life,” which features J. Cole. Durk had the entire coliseum singing along with their chest, belting his most positive lyrics to date. The song concluded with an erupting glitter cannon, a pleasant surprise from the simplistic set design Durk chose.
Overall, NCAT has once again put on a great homecoming show. I’ll give everyone props for keeping the crowd entertained, but the women were the highlights of the concert. Coco Jones, Flo Milli and Summer Walker performed with minimal backtrack and astounding stage presence. As a neutral fan of each artist, I left wanting to listen to every woman’s entire discography.
Coming from a PWI, it’s great to see so many Black people celebrating our educational excellence, music and traditions. If I’ve taken away anything, it’s that the Aggies know how to have homecoming!
