Inspired by his own The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon performance of his So Much Fun single "Hot" that featured Temple University’s Diamond Marching Band, Young Thug partnered with Kevin Liles to host a contest. The rapper and the 300 Entertainment CEO joined together for the "Hot" Battle of the Bands contest where they invited marching bands from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to give their best renditions of the track on the TikTok social media platform.
Back in October 2019, they shared that the winner would earn $25K in the form of a donation to their school's music program, and according to a report by WXTL News in Tallahassee, Florida A&M's Marching 100 have taken home the prize. The news station shared that the 100 are looking forward to competing at the Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta this weekend, as well, where they could possibly take home an additional $20K.
"We're going to take this money and use it towards our band operations," said Director of Bands Dr. Shelby Chipman. "We will repair our uniforms, repair our instruments, band operations, we have recruitment things that are taking place."
"If you're a fan of HBCU bands, you have to be a fan of the Marching 100," said third-year student Matthew James. The confident member of the marching band added, "It went without saying we were going to win. There's no competition when it comes to the 100."
