OCTOBER 29 & 30

To call Howard University’s Homecoming concerts ambitious would be an understatement. Friday’s lineup reads like a WWF tag-team extravaganza: Expect the early rounds (featuring recent newcomers Trends of Culture, Common Sense, Da’ Youngstas, the Beatnuts, and Fat Joe) to be short; and the middle rounds to be more substantial (freshman sensations the Pharcyde and Redman). The night’s heavyweights? Ice Cube and the Ultramagnetic MC’s. But Saturday’s concert is the real main event, consisting of fewer acts—De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest (pictured), and former EPMD member Erick Sermon, making his first solo appearance—which means longer, more developed performances. Plus, there’s an added treat: If your only exposure to steppin’ has been Spike’s School Daze, Saturday’s closing step will give you an opportunity to peep da’ real shit. Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 9 p.m. at the D.C. Armory, 19th & East Capitol Sts. NE. $12.50-$24.50. (202) 547-9077. (Bobby Hill)