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ASU Head Drum Major Ja’Vonta Price: ‘The Price of Glory Is High’

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. For The Birmingham Times When he was a child, Ja’Vonta Price was always banging on something: “I pounded on anything that made noise,” said the Birmingham native who is now the head drum major for the Alabama State University (ASU) Mighty Marching Hornets. “We had receptions after church, and I was […]
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3 years ago

October 25, 2023

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Alabama State University Head Drum Major Ja’Vonta Price at ASU Stadium in Montgomery, AL. (Amarr Croskey, For The Birmingham Times)

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By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

For The Birmingham Times

When he was a child, Ja’Vonta Price was always banging on something: “I pounded on anything that made noise,” said the Birmingham native who is now the head drum major for the Alabama State University (ASU) Mighty Marching Hornets.

“We had receptions after church, and I was always the one that stayed [in the sanctuary] and played on the drums,” he added.

Those drums would eventually lead Price to become a field general at ASU, said his family.

“At a young age, he would get a stick, probably a broomstick, and just march,” recalled his mother, LaJeana Boyd, who played flute, clarinet, and trumpet at Birmingham’s Bush Middle School. “Or he would beat. He was interested in drum first, so he would beat on a bed, beat on anything he’d see or come in contact with.”

Around the ninth grade, Price made it clear that his dream was to be a drum major.

“He went from beating the sticks to actually marching with his stick and flipping it and all that,” his mother remembered. “He was saying he wanted to be the drum major, and not just a regular drum major—he said he wanted to be the head drum major at [ASU]. That was always his college choice. Nowhere else. [ASU].”

On Saturday, October 28, Price and the ASU Mighty Marching Hornets will take the field at Birmingham’s Legion Field for the Magic City Classic, the largest historically Black college and university (HBCU) football game in the nation, which matches the ASU Hornets against the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU) Bulldogs.

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“A” Game

“It’s actually a blessing to be part of it,” Price said of the Classic. “By me being from Birmingham, it’s one of the best things to be part of. The [Classic] is what made me want to be in band, to be a part of a college band program. To be able to march during the parade, during the game is really fantastic.”

This will be the senior recreational therapy major’s fifth—and final—Magic City Classic. “I wish I could do it forever,” the 24-year-old said. “It’s good to be part of it. You have to be on your ‘A’ game because you have thousands of people watching.”

Those watching eyes spur the drum majors and the rest of the band to think more about what they’ll do the week before the game. “We try to go in detail and try to make it different because that’s the biggest game of the year,” Price said.

Despite the magnitude of the Classic, the ASU Mighty Marching Hornets aren’t focused on outdoing the AAMU Marching Maroon and White Show Band of the South—they’re just doing what they do best.

“Most times when you try to outperform somebody, you mess up because you’re too worried about them,” Price said. “We just try to do our own thing and be unique, keeping it Bama State style.”

“All I Ever Knew”

Back when he was pounding on anything he could get his hands on, Price somehow knew he would be in a band.

At his grandmother’s house, he recalled, “I used to get pots out of the cabinet and just play beats on them. My grandma used to always tell me, ‘Make sure you put my pans back up, boy, when you’re though making your beats.’”

“I was always that kid that loved the band,” said Price, adding that he would always have a pair of sticks with him in the car. “Even when music came on, I used to [pretend to] beat the drums in the car. Drumming has always been my go-to thing in life, the thing that kept me sane in life. I’ve been doing things dealing with band, been doing that for the longest. Once I got to college, it really wasn’t new because it’s all I ever knew.”

Price had two extracurricular activities as a student at Center Point High School: he played basketball, and he played in the band. But music was his love. He started by playing the tenor drum and expanded his interest to three types of drums during his four-year career.

At ASU, Price is the head drum major among five who lead the band; the others are fellow seniors Justin Heidemen, Kenneth Richardson, Kamran Shabazz, and Marcus Edison.

Time management is a key to Price balancing his responsibilities as head drum major with his academics.

“I have to do my internship, [40 minutes away in Hayneville, Alabama], from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,” he said. “[Afterward], I may take a nap or do a little studying. At 6 p.m., it’s time for band practice to start. Then you wake up the next morning and do it all over again.

“You really have to successfully prepare. If you don’t, things will slip up on you.”

The Field Commander

Price dismissed the notion that a drum major need only be able to dance and step high.

“He or she is a good leader and can do well under pressure, multitasking, basically being an extension of the band director while they’re not present,” he said.

“You have to be somebody that’s not afraid to stand up and be the person that sticks out,” Price continued. “You have to do the right things. You have to be on time. You have to do stuff differently than everybody else because everybody else is looking for you. They’re not looking at the band, they’re looking at you because you’re the field commander. You’re a person that’s supposed to do exactly what you’re supposed to do.”

Showmanship and creativity are part of the formula, as is an ability to dance: “But it’s not the majority part of what you have to do to be drum major,” said Price.

“That’s everything I try to preach every time I come across a high school drum major,” added the Center Point High alum. “[I tell them], ‘Make sure you can lead, make sure you want to be the different person in the band, if you want to be the leader. Just do the best you can, even though there’s a lot of stuff going on. You’ve got to be on your best game each time you go out and perform or practice. You’ve got to be a good example of a bandsman.’”

Each night when the ASU band completes practice, band members repeat their motto: The price of glory is high.

“You have to pay the price before you get the fame,” Price said. “People don’t really see what we do behind the scenes. We practice late. We practice hard. We stay up. We make sure we get our work done.”

“We don’t slack off,” he continued. “Any time you slack off, that’s a chance for people to say Bama State is slipping. When we say, ‘The price of glory is high,’ that means we’re giving our all, 100 percent. Every time we touch the field, every time we touch the stands, every time we put on a uniform, every time we come to practice, we’re giving our all because you never know when it’s gonna be your last time.”

The 82nd Magic City Classic between Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University and Alabama State University will take place on Saturday, October 28, at Birmingham’s Legion Field. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

The post ASU Head Drum Major Ja’Vonta Price: ‘The Price of Glory Is High’ first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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