“SOUND SO SOULFUL WOULDN’T YOU AGREE?!” With that all-caps love letter on Twitter, legendary R&B group Dru Hill co-signed the brilliance of the North Carolina A&T Blue and Gold Marching Machine (BGMM)—and lit up social media within the course of.
The Setting: Deese Ballroom Periods
Carried out contained in the acoustically wealthy Deese Ballroom on campus, the efficiency is a part of the BGMM’s ongoing “Deese Ballroom Recordings 2025” collection on YouTube—a visual-symphonic expertise that’s been giving new life to R&B and hip-hop classics with the magnificence solely an HBCU band can carry.
The Legacy of Dru Hill and the Songs That Formed a Era
This time, they tapped into Dru Hill, a gaggle synonymous with late-’90s and early-2000s R&B. Led by powerhouse vocalist Sisqó, Dru Hill helped outline a sound that was each church-rooted and street-slick. Their tight harmonies and emotional grit gave us platinum hits like “Inform Me,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and the tracks the BGMM simply honored: “Magnificence” (from 2002’s Dru World Order) and “Incomplete”, initially a Sisqó solo hit off his debut album Unleash the Dragon (1999).
“Magnificence” by no means obtained the business flowers it deserved, but it surely turned a cult favourite—romantic, intimate, and wealthy with feeling. “Incomplete,” in the meantime, topped the Billboard Scorching 100 in 2000, with Sisqó shedding the “Thong Tune” persona for a young, susceptible vocal that hit followers within the intestine.
Social Media Reacts: HBCU Excellence on Full Show
Now, 25 years later, the Blue and Gold Marching Machine of North Carolina A&T has breathed new hearth into each songs. With gleaming brass, soulful woodwinds, and precision percussion, they reworked Deese Ballroom right into a sanctuary of sound. The web responded accordingly:
“Black is gorgeous ??????” – @tiffanybarrett3“HBCU bands will stay undefeated! Unbelievable!” – @MichelleDisco78“I can’t cease watching! ?” – @kimmykat31“Completely wonderful ??” – @musikhealsus
Dru Hill observed. And accredited. Their tweet—“BEAUTY X INCOMPLETE – A lot like to @ncatsuaggies! ??”—was adopted by a flood of emojis, fan reactions, and HBCU pleasure.
Bridging Generations Via Sound
That is greater than only a viral video. It’s cultural inheritance, a illustration of generations of soul music being reinterpreted by Black excellence. It’s what occurs when a legendary R&B group and a powerhouse HBCU band hyperlink up—with out even needing to fulfill in individual.
And if BGMM’s previous tributes are any signal, the “Deese Ballroom Recordings 2025” collection is simply getting warmed up.
