Ten emcees took the mic Saturday night to compete for the chance to open for Big K.R.I.T. and Dom Kennedy next month, and when the smoke cleared, only one was left standing — Jéan P.
“The crowd got me excited and I feel like a champion,” Jéan P said. “A weight was lifted off my shoulders, and the fact that I’m opening for the guys that are on my iPod every day is an honor.”
After a late start, the contest, hosted by the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, went on without a glitch. Contestants struggled to get audience members excited and to impress the judges, who commented on stage presence, style and lyrics.
“Honestly, after being eliminated before the third round, it didn’t bother me,” said Ryo, who seemed to be a crowd favorite. “As long as people knew who I was, that’s all that really matters. It sucked that I was eliminated, but I know what I have to do.”
The three-hour contest was riddled with frequent intermissions, causing the crowd to grow restless.
“It was pretty long,” said Brittany Follett, a freshman studying environmental science. “But it had interesting parts in it that made the show worth it.”
Jéan P and Teuro were the only rappers to make it to the final two rounds, which featured 30-second freestyle rap battles.
“I didn’t mean to get so harsh during the freestyle, and I feel for all the rappers,” Jéan P said. “But I wanted to win.”
The audience gave Jéan P a standing ovation as BSCPB struggled to announce the emcee’s win over spectators’ cheers.
“No matter what, I think I’m capable of anything,” Jéan P said. “I did what I had to do and I was really confident. I just had tunnel vision. I just had so many emotions and nerves, but I had faith and I worked hard — all the emcees worked so hard.”
Jéan P will open the Sibs Weekend concert Feb. 18 at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
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