The Morgan State University community is preparing for a week filled with excitement and fun activities to showcase school pride. This will also mark one year since a campus shooting that led to the university canceling the majority of homecoming events.
Many students consider the annual homecoming concert the biggest event of the week. This year’s homecoming lineup includes Sexxy Red and Cash Cobain, a rapper from the Bronx, New York.
“Morgan did the right thing with bringing back Sexyy Red this year for sure. Her and Cash Cobain vibes is definitely what we need,” said Keasseh Guei, a senior majoring in business administration.
While many students are excited about the selection, others didn’t share the same reaction since the 2023 homecoming lineup included Sexxy Red as well — who has been the subject of political controversy. The rest of the previous lineup included Supahbadd and YG Teck, but the concert was one of the events canceled last year. Previous years have featured artists like Cardi B, Meek Mill and Lil Durk.
Olivia Garner, a freshmen multimedia journalism student, said she has mixed feelings about the artist.
“I think her political views are crazy, especially as a Black woman. I feel like she is only known for her music, so a lot of people overlook her political views because they [enjoy] her songs for dancing,” said Garner.
Sexyy Red’s selection has stirred controversy among the student body because of her views. In an interview on “This Past Weekend” podcast in October 2023, Sexyy Redd shared her support for former President Donald Trump saying, “We love Trump. We need him back in office. Trump, we miss you.”
After receiving backlash online for her comments and slogan “Make America Sexyy Again” — which was reminiscent of Trump’s slogan — she later clarified her stance in her June 2024 tweet, stating that she does not endorse any candidate.
“I’m my own candidate I’m not endorsing anybody period,” Sexyy Red wrote.
The school’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) plans events such as homecoming and “I Love Morgan Week,” which is a week of fun and celebratory events for Morgan State. The board gathers feedback from students while planning and collaborates with external parties to plan school events.
Senior Vice Chair of the Campus Activities Board Kyla Heyward said she has seen the diverse reactions from students.
“Honestly, it’s hard to make everyone happy. Some may not like Sexyy Red and Cash Cobain for homecoming but others are really excited,” said Heyward.
Enomi Worley, a junior majoring in human resources management, finds it controversial that Sexyy Red is performing at this year’s concert.
“It goes against what we’ve built as a community. Her support for Trump is ridiculous, and her representation will definitely turn the heads of people outside of our campus who want to support us but don’t support what we bring on campus,” said Worley.
Sahmya Lake, CAB’s senior chair, said the board doesn’t make decisions based on an artist’s political views.
“We strictly look at the entertainment aspect as long as we get the approval from our advisors and the higher ups beyond our advisors … the artist is always fine,” said Lake.
The homecoming concert is scheduled for 8 p.m in the Talmadge L. Hill Field House on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
