Interscope Geffen A&M Launches HBCU Initiative
There will be pop-up events on campuses throughout the United States during Homecoming Week.
Interscope Geffen A&M Records has launched an initiative to strengthen its connections with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which have played a crucial role in the careers of many of the company’s artists and executives.
It all starts with a series of campus events this fall. Interscope Records will host events at Howard University, Tennessee State University, and Texas Southern University during Homecoming Week. At student-led pop-ups on each campus, students will have the chance to listen to Interscope’s newly released vinyl-only album Homecoming SZN Compilation Vol. 1.
The album features a collection of tracks from the Interscope catalog inspired by the spirit of HBCU Homecoming, starting with Kendrick Lamar’s year-defining anthem “Not Like Us.” It continues with songs from J. Cole, GloRilla, Chief Keef, Wale, Rae Sremmurd, Soulja Boy, and more. The pop-ups will feature copies of Homecoming SZN with custom artwork for each university by multidisciplinary designer Laci Jordan.
In addition to the vinyl, the campus events will feature concert ticket giveaways, photo booths, and school-specific crewnecks and T-shirts for sale. The merch is provided by Champion and designed by Laci Jordan. As part of the campaign, Interscope will make a $3 donation for every item sold to the related university. Interscope/UMG will also develop HBCU-specific scholarship offerings for prospective interns and mentors and connect HBCU undergrads with HBCU alumni employees for fellowships.
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities have produced some of the most prominent figures in our country’s history,” said Laura Carter, the EVP and Head of Urban Marketing for Interscope Geffen A&M. “But HBCU’s contributions to culture – especially music – have been especially profound. This is one of the many reasons why this compilation project is so important to the artists and executives at Interscope Geffen A&M Records. We want to deepen our ties with HBCUs nationwide and are excited to embark on this year-long journey.”
Additional activations in Interscope’s HBCU campaign are reportedly coming in spring 2025.
