HBCU Bands
Suspended Bowie State band won’t be at CIAA title game
Symphony of Soul was suspended Nov. 2 because of hazing allegations
11:43 AMTwo days before the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) football title game, where it should be playing, the Bowie State marching band won’t play because it has been suspended over hazing allegations.
The band was suspended on Nov. 2 for several undisclosed incidents. University president Aminta H. Breaux issued a statement Wednesday that said:
“Over the past several days, the university has worked to investigate initial allegations of hazing within the Symphony of Soul and the entire university band program.
“First and foremost our top priorities are assuming the safety of our students and maintaining the integrity of the university band program. We have found sufficient evidence to confirm the existence of hazing activities; therefore, all performance activities remain suspended, including travel to the CIAA football championship game this weekend. Further investigation is needed to determine next steps to be taken through the student judicial process, but we remain committed to concluding the process as soon as possible and resuming the normal operations of the band.”
Bowie students started a petition asking for reinstatement of the band and reconsideration of the decision so the Symphony of Soul could attend the championship game in Salem, Virginia. In part, the petition statement read: “We are aware that this was done as a safety and preventive measure on the university’s behalf. In many ways, the band and Dr. Wright has positively impacted the campus and community and because of the band, our experiences at this institution have been heightened.”
The petition had 585 signatures Wednesday and 130 comments from students, alumni and others in support of the band.
The band recently honored director Adolph Wright during the homecoming game for his 20 years as head of the program. Wright’s current status with the school at this time is unclear, and he did not respond to a request for comment or interview.
The CIAA championship game will be the second game the band misses because of the suspension. It didn’t play at the Bulldogs’ season finale, a 49-7 win against Elizabeth City State. Bowie State plays Fayetteville State, the Bulldogs’ third trip to the championship game in five years.
Culture
Inside the ‘most lit’ LeBron-tinged spot at ComplexCon — ‘The Shop’ comes to life
‘A haircut makes you feel brand-new … like you got some new shoes on.’
2:37 PMLONG BEACH, Calif. — On the corner of “HBO” and “The Shop,” a fictional set of cross streets inside the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, stands a haven of camaraderie, conversation and, of course, cuts.
Yes, at the third annual ComplexCon, there was an actual barbershop celebrating HBO’s new The Shop, which debuted in August. The show takes viewers inside the barbershop, a staple of African-American male culture, for unfiltered conversations with the biggest names in sports and entertainment — all steered by LeBron James and his creative and business partner Maverick Carter.
In the season premiere, James discussed fatherhood with Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green, comedian and cultural icon Jon Stewart, WNBA champion and MVP Candace Parker, Super Bowl champion/social activist Michael Bennett and hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg. In episode two, The Shop welcomed record-setting recording artist Drake, who broke the internet by opening up to James and Carter about his beef with Kanye West — and the drama behind the reveal that Drake is in fact a father.
The idea behind the series translates easily into one of the largest activation spaces at this year’s two-day ComplexCon. A team of barbers manned stations inside the hardwood-floored area, where they provided free fades, lineups and shape-ups to celebrities, influencers and even your average convention attendee. A DJ spun outside the makeshift building, and sneaker cleaning was offered out back. All the while, podcast host and social media maven Denise Jones conducted on-camera interviews with folks sitting in barber chairs as Bevel blades hummed across their heads.
“I think it’s the most lit booth at ComplexCon,” said celebrity barber Marcus Harvey, whose clientele includes NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, NBA analyst/former All-Star Chris Webber, three-time NBA champion Klay Thompson and the legendary rapper Nas. “The barbershop is the last brick-and-mortar for anything.”
Team Bevel, steady holdin’ it down👇🏾 for us at #ComplexCon #TheShopHBO 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pNJw2ZHgTO
— BEVEL (@bevel) November 4, 2018
When HBO first announced The Shop, Harvey, who’s been working in the barber industry since he was 12 and has cut hair since he was 15, couldn’t believe it. “I was like, ‘Oh, s—!’ ” Harvey said while lining up rapper Nick Grant. “They’re showing some love to the culture, for real. … We always talk about the culture, the culture, the culture, but if you really think about it, the culture always starts in the barbershop. Every movement is started in the barbershop. Your barber is the first entrepreneur that you met. So for there to even be a show where the background is … community and entrepreneurship, it’s a whole ‘nother level. It’s dope that HBO could see that people are always going to connect with the barbershop.”
Hill, in town for ComplexCon fresh from inking a Fila lifetime endorsement deal, pulled up for a cut. So did Nas, an investor with the company that produces Bevel products. Geiva, a female master hairstylist for men based in New Jersey, shaped up rapper A-Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. And a few chairs away, Cena Barhaghi, co-founder and creative director of the popular streetwear brand Pink Dolphin, got hit with some clippers.
“A haircut makes you feel brand-new,” Barhaghi said, “like you got some new shoes on.”
Seems like the only two people who didn’t come through the booth were Carter and James. But understandably so, given the Los Angeles Lakers played a back-to-back on the same dates as ComplexCon. “I’ve already cut ‘Bron,” Harvey said. “On my barber bucket list is Barack Obama. Once I get Obama in my chair, I’m retiring for five days. I’ma fast. I’ma go on a Himalayan hike. And I’m gonna talk about what we talked about to myself.”
Who knows? Maybe Obama will make an appearance on The Shop this season. LeBron, if you’re reading this, make it happen.