Texas Hall was sold out Friday evening for the Rhythm and Blues Fest, showcasing a nostalgic night from start to finish.
The night kicked off with singer Ray Singleton performing some of R&B’s biggest hits — covering generations of music on a single piano. John Legend’s “All of Me” turned the crowd into a choir, concluding Singleton’s opening act.
The main attractions were award-winning gospel singer-songwriter Marvin Sapp and Grammy award-winning R&B singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton.
Sapp turned Texas Hall into a holy ground, calling for believers to rise and sing along as he performed his biggest hits. The song “My Testimony” highlighted his performance, uniting the audience in shouting, “I made it.”
Joshua Cedillo, finance and real estate senior, said it was amazing to see Sapp live as someone moving the church and community.
“It just fills my heart to know that I’m here right now listening to some of the artists that they grew up listening to,” Cedillo said. “I love Jesus, so Marvin Sapp was a definite go-to.”
Guest artist Lekan served as intermission between Sapp and Hamilton but instantly won the crowd over with his vocals. Lekan was recently named one of Amazon Music’s 2025 Artists to Watch and was an opener for singer-songwriter Tems’ 2024 tour.
After long anticipation, Hamilton rocked the stage, donning his infamous hat look. Old souls poured their hearts out with “Best of Me,” “The Point of It All” and “Po’ Folks” while the R&B soul group The Ton3s provided background vocals.
Michael Alexander, Kappa Alpha Psi Dallas alumni chapter president, said he attended the event in support of his fraternity brother, Roland Parrish. Parrish was one of four people honored with the Beacon of Excellence Award at the event, a recognition of excellence that inspires others.
UTA President Jennifer Cowley accompanied each winner on stage, presenting them with a trophy and bouquet of flowers.
Alexander said Sapp was also a member of the fraternity, and the pair shared a moment while Sapp performed, dapping one another up.
Alexander was impressed by UTA for organizing an event that meant so much to the community.
“I don’t think that you should judge anything by its size,” he said. “You judge things by impact, and this school’s having a tremendous impact on the community and also celebrating Black history like this. That’s a great event.”
While many older residents came out for the event, so did young adults with old souls. Cedillo said he grew up in a family of “old-school people.”
Information systems senior Jordan Lanier said he hopes to see UTA putting together more concerts with highly adored artists.
“We don’t really get these types of concerts that often,” Lanier said. “I would say just keep doing what they’re doing, reaching out to these artists and getting more of these artists of this magnitude here at UTA, because it’s definitely growing the culture.”
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