Apple TV+’s Severance wrapped up its Season 2 finale with an unforgettable tribute to HBCU marching band culture. Jackson State University alumnus Tramell Tillman (’08) delivered a performance that had viewers buzzing and comparing the moment to Beyoncé’s HBCU-inspired Coachella performance.
“I graduated from Jackson State University, and their band is the Sonic Boom of The South, the best marching band in the entire world,” Tillman told TV Guide. “This is an opportunity to highlight my culture, to highlight the significance of HBCUs — the marching bands, the showmanship, the pageantry, the discipline, the excellence, the Black joy.”
Tillman’s passion for authenticity was evident in his dedication to making the scene as true to HBCU culture as possible. “I’m a perfectionist. I kind of grind, because I want to get it pristine,” he said during Severance’s PaleyFest panel in Los Angeles. “I picked up on it very, very quickly.”
HBCU inspiration
The inspiration came from years of watching bands like Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of The South, Bethune-Cookman, and Florida A&M. “I was in the marching band in high school. It is different from HBCU. But because I went to Jackson State University, I had the Sonic Boom of the South. Spent so much time watching them. I had to go back and look at the tapes,” Tillman told Us Weekly. “I was watching Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M to get inspiration, and I hope I did them justice.”
Tillman’s journey to Jackson State University began after transferring from Xavier University of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. He switched his major to mass communication and graduated summa cum laude in 2008. His time at JSU, surrounded by the excellence of the Sonic Boom of the South, became the foundation for the sequence featured in Severance’s finale.
“These are stories that I dealt with myself being in corporate America or just being Black. So I wanted to bring credence to it and be very cautious of how we did it. It was a risk, and I’m glad that we had the license to be free and explore and let it be authentic,” he told Us Weekly.
The performance was more than a scene; it was a declaration of HBCU culture’s excellence. As Tillman continues his acting journey. He remains committed to uplifting his roots and honoring the legacy of institutions like Jackson State University.