SUPB hosts rap battle
April 4, 2008
Moberly Area Community College freshman Brian Lloyd, who goes by ‘Fist-A-Cuffs,’ free-styles on Tuesday night at Stotler Lounge.
Sophomore Marc Goone battles against sophomore John Clark at Tuesday’s 'rap-off' in Stotler Lounge. The two are members of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity and were cheered on by about 15 fellow fraternity brothers.
Sophomore John Clark challenges audience members to a battle at Stotler Lounge on Tuesday night. Though he was not declared winner, Clark rapped throughout the whole event, which lasted about an hour and was sponsored by the Student Union Programming Board.
Leaving his tight-fitted polo shirts behind, sophomore John Clark arrived at Memorial Union flanked by 14 of his fraternity brothers and dressed in an oversized Missouri football T-shirt and clean, white Air Jordans. Heckled onto the stage by his friends, Clark playfully practiced his freestyle, unaware that his pastime would soon make him into a rap-battle champion.
Since Clark discovered his talent in high school, rapping has been his way of entertaining friends and having fun. On Tuesday night he decided to take that talent to another level.
“I was just part of the posse going to see the battle,” Clark said. “We all thought a bunch of people would be there ripping on each other, but it turns out that we became the battle.”
On Tuesday night the Student Union Programming Board hosted a rap-off event at Memorial Union’s Stotler Lounge. The event was the beginning of a series of open mic nights taking place this month.
“This event is part of the Student Union Programming Board’s entertainment initiative,” SUPB entertainment director Chris Emmett said. “We are always looking for ways to get the student body involved at Memorial Union. As of right now, we want Tuesday nights to be an entertainment night at Memorial Union, in one way or another getting students onstage doing something.”
The night started out slowly, as none of the students present wanted to flaunt their skills onstage. But when Emmett blasted “Ass Like That” through the speakers, John Clark and sophomore Marc Goone, feeling the beat, chose to rise to the challenge. The rap-off had begun.
As Emmett recited the rules to the contestants, laughter filled the room. With the only limitation being no physicality, the audience fully expected the vulgarity that was about to take place.
“We’re not gonna battle, we’re gonna rattle,” Clark said in the opening line of his free-style. Instead of choosing to rip on his fellow contestant, Clark turned the battle to his friends in the audience.
Going down the line of chairs one by one, Clark picked each friend apart. His lyrical disses covered a wide variety of issues as he slammed friends for their spring break hookups, sexuality, religion and style.
Despite the vulgarity and sensitive nature of some of the insults, Clark said they were all just for fun and laughs with his close friends. Turning from the audience back to the stage, his final diss was directed at sophomore business marketing Goone, causing chants of “OHHH, GOONE! GOONE! GOONE!” to roar through the room. During this mayhem, wandering bystanders trickled in to catch a glimpse of the verbal assault and sheer excitement of the crowd.
It was now Goone’s turn. Goone has been rapping since his senior year of high school, and like Clark, he said his talent is also just for fun.
“Normally I freestyle about what’s in my head at the time,” Goone said. “I try to keep it light and rap about funny stuff to make people laugh. I don’t like ripping on other people.”
Goone’s raps sparked roaring laughter and cheers from the crowd. With jokingly provocative lyrics like “She’s licking on my shit like an ice cream cone/I feel like I’m in New Orleans ‘cause I got that Superdome,” he proved to be one of the funniest acts of the night.
“Marc Goone was by far my favorite,” said freshman Alex Scherff, a spectator at the rap-off. “He seemed like the best to me. Even though it sounded like he might have written his lyrics, his delivery was the best. He was just chilling the whole time and didn’t even stand up.”
After Goone and Clark both delivered a few more freestyles, Clark challenged the audience to a battle. Brian Lloyd, a freshman at Moberly Area Community College, took a stand. He slowly walked up to the stage and introduced himself in the mic as “Fist-A-Cuffs.”
Rap holds a different meaning in Lloyd’s life than in Clark’s and Goone’s. Lloyd has practiced every day for the past six years and books local shows with friends under his Fist-A-Cuffs persona.
“Rap and writing are my passion,” Lloyd said. “I’m able to say what’s on my mind and say stories I want to tell.”
Like a professional rapper, Lloyd grabbed the mic from the top and flowed his body back and forth with the beat as he delivered his lines. As he and Clark battled back and forth, the frenzy in the audience grew.
After a serious slew of insults, the tension grew and Lloyd’s lyrics became a recollection of his personal struggles. His performance resulted in a burst of applause from the audience. The rap-off had ended.
In order to determine whom the victory of the event belonged to, Emmett asked the crowd to cheer for the winner. In the end, the match was declared a draw.
“I only got one thing to say to Fist-A-Cuffs,” Clark said. “He can come get more if he hasn’t had enough. No, I’m kidding. He’s a talented guy and I’m sure he’ll do well for himself in the future.”
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