After the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles created unfathomable devastation in California in January, the Golden State needed a joyous occasion. Thankfully, Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) 2025 provided that for tens of thousands on the first day of February.
Actor, recording artist, and television host Nick Cannon, hip-hop artist and Grammy Award nominee GloRilla, and the marching bands of six Historically Black colleges and universities provided an afternoon of music and dancing on and off the field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood at HBOB, which launched in 2003. Its first-ever West Coast activation featured the Marching Maroon and White Band Alabama A&M University, the Mighty Marching Hornets of Alabama State University, the Marching Force of Hampton University, the Blue and Gold Marching Machine of North Carolina A&T University, the Human Jukebox Marching Band of Southern University, and the Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South of the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff all delighted the audience filled with alums, current students, and future attendees on a warm California day that began with the Black College Expo inside the stadium.
Cannon spoke about the richness of HBCU culture at a pre-event press conference.
“When an HBCU marching band plays, you feel the spirit, you hear music that you grew up with, you see the spirituality, and you hear the resilience,” the actor who played Devon Miles in the film Drumline said. “You feel the pain; you feel the emotion of what it takes to be the best of the best at your craft. Music, specifically, was always an outlet in our community to take our minds off of any hardships in life. We’re either going to play some music or listen to some music, and you feel that every time one of those young people hits the field.
Southern U band performs Stevie Wonder
Cedric the Entertainer introduced the Human Jukebox, which performed a medley of hits by music icon Stevie Wonder, including “Knocks Me Off My Feet,” “My Cherie Amor,” and “Ribbon in the Sky.” The students of Southern University then saluted the California crowd by playing Kendrick Lamar and 2Pac’s “Ambitionz az a Ridah” before closing the set in a formation that said, “I love Cali.”
GloRilla finishes strong
GloRilla closed out HBOB 2025 with an energetic 25-minute set that saw fans dancing in the stands and marching bands displaying their moves surrounding the stage. The Memphis native performed “Yeah Glo,” “Blessed, “T.G.I.F.” and performed her viral head top dance.
