When MTV brought their “Homecoming Tailgate Party” to the UC patio, a fair amount of UM students turned out for an all-day “party” of music, a whole lot of Frisbees, and a “special appearance” by Ozzy Osbourne. If you missed it, it was right here at the UM campus on Oct. 23, from 1 to 6 p.m.
Students “moved to the rhythm” as DJ Radar spiced up the afternoon with his turntable “wizardry.” MTV dominated the area with exclusive MTV tents and MTV giveaways, where people were able to personally “hang out” with MTV-star Ozzy Osbourne through interactive technology, while “auditioning” for Ozzy’s band. While students “probably” won’t be receiving callbacks from the “prince of f***ing darkness” for their unparalleled skills, students were allowed to take a copy of the audition home with them for their personal enjoyment. That’s right, it was free, and that wasn’t all! There was more!
UM’s own talented artists were able to put their “talent” to the test with a karaoke jam. MTV later turned the MTV karaoke tent into an MTV talent-battle for the MTV-riffic title of UM-MTV Homecoming Karaoke Winner.
With all the music and the hype, students got a taste of the rock-star life by creating personalized “rock ‘n’ roll” T-shirts and glittery tattoos all courtesy of MTV. The free stuff had some ” disloyal” participants questioning why they were actually waiting in line for a half-an-hour to get an MTV T-shirt. As if that wasn’t enough, MTV didn’t stop there! At the Jackass tent, MTV gave UM an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Jackass’ cast members, while giving away exclusive MTV Jackass merchandise, along with a portable MTV MP3 player, Nintendo system, and other MTV stuff. It was worth it just to get a glimpse of what it’s like to party with MTV, and to take home your own MTV goody-bag filled with two-cent promotional items and CDs of unknown (but not for long) bands.
The glossy highlight of the afternoon was the live music. A majority of students stopped by to see the performances in the Miami heat, while a few students walked away uninterested. The artists were just as “hot” as the temperature was. UM was given up-close-and-personal performances by two buzz-worthy sensations, Floetry and Styles. Floetry “took the hook off the chain” with a mixture of reggae and poetry, and of course, a bit of hip-hop, reminiscent of Erykah Badu. Styles brought true hip-hop to UM with a whole lot of heart and attitude. The crowd was not very pumped, leaving some wondering whether Hurricane Productions was to blame.
A personal look at Floetry let some insight shine onto their unique poetic-lyrics and musical techniques. The group, consisting of Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart, don’t consider themselves singers; instead, they are “writers and artists.” Their lyrics are poetry, sorry, floetry, and their music is, as Ambrosius put it, “poetic delivery with musical intent.” Their music is influenced by everyday routines ranging from “walking to having a crush to having to clean your room, and just everything in life.” That is deep. Their rhythms are different and don’t fit into any particular genre, with influences from “Bob Marley, tribal music, Prince, and Stevie Wonder.” That’s what makes this group so original. Stewart humbly describes their passion, “a sensation like no other in the industry.”
For more info, you can watch MTV 24/7/365 on your television.
Jeanette Hallak can be reached at jhallak@umsis.miami.edu.