Drake and J. Cole kicked off the It’s All A Blur — Big as the What? Tour on Friday, with some help from an HBCU Band.
The Jackson State Sonic Boom of the South made an appearance at the tour’s opening night in Tampa, FL. The concert took place at Amalie Arena in front of 17,000 fans.
The Sonic Boom marched Drake out to open the concert that opened the tour of the two stars. Two of its students also received internships for two of its students, according to its Twitter post.
That was not the only HBCU tie on the night. The tour between the two giants also featured playful commentary from ESPN personality and Winston-Salem State University alumnus Stephen A. Smith in a First Take-style video with commentary on J Cole and Drake.
The appearance was just part of a busy weekend for the Sonic Boom of the South. It also took a trip up north as the men’s basketball team played Grambling State in the HBCU Legacy Classic in Newark, NJ, including a visit to Time Square.
It was a solid start for the Jackson State University marching band, which finished as runner up in the Division I 2023 ESPN Band of The Year Competition.