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From Prime To The Oscars<\/p>\nThe first female head drum major of the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Marching \u201c100\u201d recently appeared on the stage of the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California. To say that Oluwamodupe \u201cDupe\u201d Oloyede is having a remarkable year would be an understatement. <\/p>\n
While audiences around the world waited to see how the film Sinners would perform after earning a record-setting 16 Academy Award nominations, Oloyede quietly made her own mark on Hollywood\u2019s biggest night. During a performance of one of the most popular soundtrack songs of 2025, Miles Caton delivered a stirring rendition of \u201cI Lied to You.\u201d Positioned stage left with her drum major\u2019s baton, Oloyede added a dynamic presence to the production. As famed ballerina Misty Copeland danced center stage, Oloyede executed precise baton choreography amid a dramatic, multi-character performance celebrating the record-breaking film.<\/p>\n
Oloyede\u2019s Oscars appearance is just the latest highlight in a year that has already propelled her into the national spotlight.<\/p>\n
Her viral run began earlier this year when she led the Marching \u201c100\u201d in a tribute video for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael. In the opening scene, Oloyede dramatically caught her baton before leading the band, and in the closing moment tossed it into the air where it was caught by a drum major from Jackson State University\u2019s Sonic Boom of the South\u2014symbolizing the connection between two of the nation\u2019s premier HBCU marching bands.<\/p>\n
From Prime To The Oscars<\/p>\n
Just a week later, the Marching \u201c100\u201d was featured in a special performance of the NBA on Prime theme \u201cVictory.\u201d The song, produced in part by FAMU alumnus Common, was performed on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium. Prime Video aired the segment ahead of the Orlando Magic\u2019s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, serving as a tribute to Common\u2019s admiration for the Marching \u201c100\u201d and its influence during his time at the university.<\/p>\n
Oloyede\u2019s momentum continued last week when she became a member of the Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. During the sorority\u2019s initiate show at Gaither Gymnasium, she delivered what quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the evening.<\/p>\n
With a line of 65 new members each presenting themselves to the crowd, Oloyede\u2019s introduction electrified the packed gym. Her sorority sister, Cori Bostic\u2014the first female drum major of the Marching \u201c100\u201d\u2014handed her the iconic baton. The crowd erupted as Oloyede stepped to center stage in classic drum major fashion. After introducing herself, she blew her whistle to signal the signature start of a Marching \u201c100\u201d performance. Moments later, a bass drum appeared from the back of the gym and began the band\u2019s familiar cadence. Oloyede then performed a weaving routine known as the \u201cRattler,\u201d finishing with a dramatic split that sent the Gaither Gym crowd into a frenzy.<\/p>\n
The moment quickly went viral. Within 24 hours of being posted online, the video surpassed one million views. As of now, it has been viewed more than 10 million times, with major outlets\u2014including Ebony Magazine\u2014sharing the performance.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, Oloyede\u2019s trip to the Oscars unfolded quietly. Rumors had circulated that she might be involved in a special appearance, but few people knew exactly what was happening. The details remained under wraps until the moment she appeared on stage.<\/p>\n
With graduation just a month away, Oloyede has already built a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 filled with historic milestones, viral moments, and national recognition. The only question now is what she will accomplish after walking across the Oscars stage and before walking to get her degree.<\/p>\n
The post FAMU Drum Major Graces the Oscars Stage<\/a> appeared first on HBCU Gameday<\/a>.<\/p>\n HBCU Gameday<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 15, 2026 at 8:50 PM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first female head drum major of the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Marching \u201c100\u201d recently appeared on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":193243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-193545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}