By: William Sommerer
Hip-Hop Homecoming is a beloved school tradition across the country, and Tri-C is no exception, except we put a twist on it. Hip-Hop Homecoming has been a Tri-C staple since 2015, when Director of Community Relations Lisanetta McDade noticed many students were dropping classes in the fall due to stress and sought to reduce this by introducing a new event that would let students to relax and have fun. The Hip-Hop Homecoming event [HHH further in the article] resulted from this effort. My attendance on September 17th and 18th showed how HHH grew from a simple relax-and-unwind event into a large community outreach event that brings Clevelanders of all walks of life into the Tri-C family.
The HHH kicked off on September 17th with an interactive DJ class from the Soundbender Institute, where participants could learn the art of DJ-ing from some of the region’s best.
The day continued with a line-dancing break led by Kendra Willis and Richard Larkin, giving everyone a chance to learn some moves and have a good time before the main, most-wanted part of the day began. The first day of the HHH ended with a pop-up party, featuring music, food, and fun. The dancing part along with the earlier DJ class, were great examples of community engagement, as students from Euclid High School and Marion Sterling School on a field trip eagerly joined the festivities alongside Tri-C’s students.
The real meat of the HHH kicked off the next day, with an evening dance. With music provided by DJ Lo-Key, food from Rascal House Pizza, and people from all over, it was an amazing time! Additionally, the event helped with raising funds for the Student Resilient Scholar Fund to aid students in need of help with various life expenses such as food, housing, or childcare, with the help of special VIP tickets (they included the donation part).
I talked to some student attendees of the dance, who were invariably having a good time. There was a trio of friends: Kiki, Ray, and Lisa, who described the event as “…A good vibe”, “…Welcoming”, and “A wholesome activity in what can occasionally be a rougher part of town.” They also noted that the HHH advertisement was somewhat lacking, and that they only found out about the event the day of. That’s not to say it was thin on the ground, as nearly 150 attendees came for the event, which is an outstanding turnout! Overall, the 2026 Hip-Hop Homecoming was a complete success and a great show of school spirit and community, and Metro Campus especially.
To know more about the Soundbender Intstitute, click the link: https://soundbenderinstitute.com/
