{"id":652440,"date":"2026-03-11T09:27:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/652440\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T09:27:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:27:23","slug":"famu-marching-100-band-performs-nba-on-primes-theme-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/652440\/","title":{"rendered":"FAMU Marching 100 band performs NBA on Prime’s theme song"},"content":{"rendered":"

Florida A&M University\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Marching 100<\/a>\u00a0band\u00a0has added its \u201cincomparable\u201d sound to\u00a0a\u00a0theme song for the National Basketball Association (NBA).<\/p>\n

Tapped by FAMU\u00a0alumnus\u00a0and three-time Grammy award-winning rapper\u00a0Common<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 who initially created the musical composition titled \u201cVictory\u201d in October \u2212\u00a0the university\u2019s marching band was chosen to\u00a0perform a recreation of the theme song for Amazon\u2019s Prime\u00a0Video\u00a0following\u00a0an\u00a0inaugural\u00a02025-2026 NBA on Prime<\/a>\u00a0unveiling in October that makes NBA games viewable on the streaming platform.\u00a0The Marching 100 performance premiered March 7 for the opening of the Orlando Magic vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game, and it will serve as the signature sound for the NBA on Prime each week for the 2025-2026 season.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re\u00a0very grateful\u00a0for this piece of music and the opportunity to be a part of the NBA with Amazon,\u201d Common said in an interview with NBA on Prime. \u201cWe feel like we created something new with this music that still has the soul and spirit of what we love music to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Common,<\/p>\n

Common, rapper, actor, writer and activist, is featured during a book talk and signing event for his book And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self at the Wilmington Public Library on Friday, Jan 26, 2024. A capacity crowd of approximately 350 people attended.<\/p>\n

A Chicago, Illinois native, Common studied business administration at FAMU from 1991 to 1992. He has had several accomplishments in both the music and film industries, where he earned Emmy and Grammy awards and has appeared in films such as \u201cSelma,\u201d \u201cBarbershop,\u201d \u201cJohn Wick 2\u201d and \u201cThe Hate U Give.\u201d<\/p>\n

Common was also\u00a0a commencement speaker<\/a>\u00a0for FAMU during a spring 2019 graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n

After he composed \u201cVictory\u201d in October, he had the idea of inviting FAMU\u2019s\u00a0Marching 100 to perform the song, and\u00a0over 140 student members\u00a0brought the vision to life in different settings of the university’s campus, including the Lawson Center. It is unclear when the band received the invite.<\/p>\n

Common was not on campus during the performance’s recording because he was out of the country. But he did FaceTime the band students to watch their rehearsal and virtually praised their musicianship, according to a FAMU spokesperson. He also got on a FaceTime call with the band a second time for singer and actress Jennifer Hudson to listen.<\/p>\n

\"FAMU's<\/p>\n

FAMU’s Marching 100 band performs the theme song “Victory” for NBA on Prime.<\/p>\n

Other composers of the “Victory” song were record producers Karriem Riggins and James Poyser, and their collaboration with Common marks the first national NBA broadcast theme\u00a0created by three Black composers.<\/p>\n

The opportunity for the Marching 100 comes after the band recently\u00a0kicked off an HBCU Marching Bands\u00a0promotional campaign for the\u00a0Lionsgate’s film “Michael\u201d<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0one minute and 50-second promo video\u00a0performing pop icon\u00a0Michael Jackson’s award winning song “Don\u2019t Stop \u2019Til You Get Enough.\u201d The band was not paid for the performance, a university spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Related news: Florida A&M’s Marching 100 kicks off Michael Jackson film promo<\/a><\/p>\n

In a March 7 Facebook post<\/a>, FAMU Band Director Shelby Chipman thanked\u00a0Common\u00a0as\u00a0well\u00a0as Amazon Prime and the\u00a0NBA\u00a0for including the university\u2019s marching band in the\u00a0recent\u00a0theme song performance.\u00a0While the band received an honorarium for the performance, it is unclear how much the payment was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you Common for your new release of \u2018Victory\u2019 for the NBA,\u201d Chipman wrote in the post. \u201cWe’re grateful for the collaboration with the NBA on Amazon Prime. Go \u2018100.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch the FAMU\u00a0Marching\u00a0100 band perform ‘Victory’ for NBA on Prime<\/p>\n

The marching band’s performance of the NBA on Prime theme song can be viewed on FAMU’s Instagram page.<\/p>\n

Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network \u2013 Florida. She can be reached at\u00a0tjean@tallahassee.com<\/a>. Follow her on X:\u00a0@tarahjean_<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Marching 100 band performs theme song for Amazon’s NBA on Prime<\/a><\/p>\n