“Beautiful Girls” is a certified bop, but it’s definitely the kind of song that should be reserved for the awkward shuffling done at middle school dances. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Homecoming is meant to be a time of celebration; a time to enjoy being young, love life and dance the night away with friends and strangers alike. Yet to be honest, it’s kind of hard to really get down when the best UH has to offer is the fire beats of … Sean Kingston?
Don’t get me wrong, “Beautiful Girls” is a certified bop, but it’s definitely the kind of song that should be reserved for the awkward shuffling done at middle school dances. Bumping and grinding to “Eenie Meenie” feels like it should put you on some kind of list.
Throwback classics are great for when it’s 3 a.m. and you’re out with your gal pals at the club, but we’re slowly reaching a point where it feels like UH is just googling “songs the kids these days are into” and calling it a day.
That’s not to say that whoever picks the homecoming artists isn’t trying their best. After all, we did get the … third best member of Three 6 Mafia last year. Oh and we got T-Pain that one time, which I’m sure was a real treat for all four die-hard T-Pain fans in the house.
Normally, it would be easy to chalk this issue up to out of touch college administrations or budget constraints, but it’s hard not to feel like the grass actually is greener on the other side of the fence.
After all, TSU managed to get Megan Thee Stallion not too long ago. Sure, TSU was her Alma Mater, but UH has it’s own fair share of impressive musical alumni including Lizzo and even Lil Wayne.
There’s no guarantee that they would perform just because they went to UH, but Houston artists have a deep love for the city; anyone who went to Beyonce’s most recent concert can tell you that the energy here in H-town is electric in a way few other cities can match.
Even if UH can’t swing more “mainstream” acts, surely they could try calling up some of the hotter up and coming hip-hop artists that Houston has no shortage of. For god’s sake, we are THE home of the legendary DJ Skrew and the chopped and screwed style after all.
Houston had an absolutely gorgeous and diverse musical landscape, and if homecoming isn’t a reflection of that, it’s kind of hard to claim that we’re really “For the city.”
But maybe I’m just being ungrateful; UH could pull some really impressive early 2010s banger artist next year. Imagine getting turnt with your homies to “Replay” by Iyaz, wouldn’t that be something?
Say what you will about UH, but that’s certainly an experience you can only get here.
Malachi Key is a Journalism senior who can be reached at [email protected].
