Events

The UIC School of Theatre and Music welcomes alum and GRAMMY® Award Winning Recording Artist Matt B (BS Architecture, 2014) for a special convocation event. Hear about his career in the music industry, his GRAMMY®-winning album ALKEBULAN II, and the impact his time at UIC had on his journey.

Convocations are free and open to the public. RSVP is required.

ABOUT MATT B:
GRAMMY® Award Winning singer, songwriter, and producer ‘Matt B’ was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He released his Japanese debut album LOVE & WAR in September 2014, and it went #1 on the iTunes R&B Charts. His sophomore album DIVE released in January 2016 and also hit #1 on the iTunes R&B Charts. After reaching critical acclaim in Japan, Matt’s imprint continued to spread overseas. His single Color Blind went viral in China, accruing over 158 million streams on the NetEase platform. Matt signed with Priority Records in 2017 and had his nationwide television debut performing at the 2019 Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. Matt B’s debut US album, EDEN, ranked #3 in the US and #5 in Canada on the iTunes R&B Albums Chart. It also debuted in the Top 40 for R&B Albums on Billboard. Following its release, Matt released his hit single Gimme Love. Gimme Love peaked at #36 on the Billboard US Afrobeats Chart and has accrued more than 5M streams globally. Matt B secured a GRAMMY nomination for his record Gimme Love in 2022. ALKEBULAN was released on August 18, 2023, and debuted on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart in the Top 100. Matt B was also named Critically Acclaimed Artist of the Year by the Los Angeles Tribune and one of the 100 Most Influential People In Entertainment 2023 by Ranks Africa. In 2024, Matt B secured his second GRAMMY® Nomination and very first GRAMMY® win for ALKEBULAN II. This historic win also marked the first GRAMMY® to be won by the world renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the first win for all of East Africa, specifically Uganda.

PARKING:
For information on parking visit: https://parking.uic.edu/facilities-and-maps/#west-side-parking-garages-and-lots.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
CTA Blue Line to UIC-Halsted. There are 3 exits from this platform. Take the far west exit with the long ramp (towards Morgan Street). There are also CTA buses (#7 and #60) that stop directly in front of our building.

ACCESSIBILITY:
For accessibility, accommodations and special requests, please contact Neal McCollam.

REGISTER: