Image via Hunter Bonaparte

By Hunter Bonaparte, Arts & Entertainment Coordinator

The Versus and Vibes talent show brought strong energy and enthusiasm to kick off Morehouse’s homecoming week. The event, sponsored by SiriusXM and Pandora, not only gave students the opportunity to celebrate the start of homecoming, but also a chance to put their talents on full display.

In addition to the show, Morehouse’s B-lot was filled with a variety of vendors and booths. Arcade games, a Volkswagen photoshoot, 360 photo booth and even a hut for custom bucket hats were among the many activities provided. The theme tying all this together was the early hip-hop scene of the 1980s and 90s.

When discussing his vision for the event, Gerardo Vargas, the event producer of Versus and Vibes said, “The inspiration is visibly with the AUC culture…you can’t deny what you see in the AUC…I didn’t know about this culture, there’s something different about being at an HBCU.” 

The performances were kicked off by R&B singer Kayla, who was soon followed by members of the Class of 2019, and then an act by several dancers in orange prison jumpsuits. The image of them on stage almost makes one think that it is a musical rendition of the 1999 film “Life.”Many other notable performances took place, including one by the artist Kinga World, well-known around the AUC for his work in The Elevator Creative, an agency dedicated to promoting local artists. His song was followed by a brief intermission that featured Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” as the crowd mingled and staff buzzed around setting up for the upcoming entertainment.

The sponsors who made this all possible got a special shout out from Dean Booker. 

He said, “Number one: I’m grateful for the sponsorship – very seldom would you get all of this in one space…Pandora is the sponsor, and we actually have 3-4 students working with them right now.”

The event wrapped up with a thrilling succession of stroll team performances by the various freshman dorms and an appearance by the critically lauded artist, Ambré. The murmurs of her possible appearance led to rapturous applause once she finally appeared on stage, thus confirming her status as a welcome face here at Homecoming.

Versus and Vibes offered the perfect blend of exhibition and celebration, giving the students of the AUC a multitude of activities while making space for Spelhouse’s more artistic souls to shine in front of their peers.

Copy Edited by: Colin Royal, Managing Editor of Print