The University Village presented a spectacular talent showcase titled “An Ode to Music” at the MSC auditorium on Oct. 21. The showcase featured many of the well-known and amateur talents on Prairie View’s campus that took the audience on a journey of a variety of music genres in our culture, which included neo-soul, gospel, spoken word, hip hop, and R&B. The MCs for the event were none other than the talented duo David Butler, a senior communications major, and Prairie View graduate Phillip Wade. These two did a great job of keeping the audience entertained during transitions of performances.
The first performance the audience experienced was the neo-soul era, an extraordinary collaboration by the brothers and sisters of Phi Mu Alpha and Sigma Alpha Iota. As their voices harmonized they soon had the crowd on their feet. Next, senior Angel Porter wowed the audience with her rendition of Jasmine Sullivan’s “Bust Your Windows.”
As the showcase continued, gospel was the next genre in the ode to music, the crowd was graced by the PV Mimes performed. The audience was very engaged as they. Michael Dixon & VisZon performed last, blessing the audience with song. As they sang, the audience stood up and rejoiced in the Lord.
Our journey continued with spoken word. Although this was no singing act, members of Prairie View’s own Slam Team members Willie “Willie P” Sowell, Malcomb “Redd” Bevel, Thasia “Trademark” Madison, and Willie “Will-Tell” Rhodes come on stage, doing a particular genre of music. Sowell did a poem on hip-hop, Bevel had R&B, Madison did a piece on neo-soul, and Rhodes recited one on gospel. Poet Ahmad “Nyne” Hugh did a poem on music in gereral.
After spoken word, hip hop was the next genre up and seemed to be the crowd pleaser. The first act was a great dance performance by “The Weirdos” The audience was very engaged to see what the group had in store for this performance. The audience was then taken on a musical expedition as they listened to hip-hop from back in the day. The MSC auditorium had become a party, and who couldn’t forget the fraternities and sororities performing on stage and in the aisles.
As the hip-hop segment continued, there was a “Stanky Leg” competition on stage. Although it was hard to determine who the winner was for this contest, the audience still enjoyed themselves.
The last performance of the evening was the R&B portion. MC Wade performed the first act. He sang an original song entitled, “Missing You.” Alex Burton then sung his interpretation of NE-YO’s “Miss Independent.” The last act of the night was none other than Forte and the Xecutives, the “Ode to Music” ended with a bang with their original song, “Baby” and club hits such as “Can’t Believe it” and “Signs of Love Making.”
“Overall, I was very impressed with the talent show and the acts that were presented. I was surprised at how the crowd reacted to some of the acts. And I loved the Forte and the Xecutives. They were grisly!” Said sophomore mass communication major Candice Moore.