Big Student Popped by Big Poppa E
Shamus Ridgell
Issue date: 2/2/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Friday night poetry slams have become Hendrix College's newest growing fad. Once an event ignored by the campus, it has become a staple event on the calendar. Three things have led to the new fame of the slams: lyrical mastery, emotional intensity, and violence. That's right: violence.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006, a buzz grew in the Burrow as the chairs filled with the butts of those that enjoy a good night of verbal fun. Talk had been circulating all week about HBO Def Poet Big Poppa E being the slam master and those that recognized the name (as well as those eager to meet someone semi-famous) were among the first to arrive. Once the Burrow's massive clock struck 10:00 p.m., the short, chubby, Caucasian man shuffled onto stage, informing his audience of two things: he is Big Poppa E and "tall people suck."
His ranting of a tall-friendly world was humorous at first. It was no different than any of his other jokes, such as referring to senior Laura Woodward as "My Chemical Romance" and singing a song based on the Harry Potter series. People withstood his jokes and, soon enough, the Hendrix community began to enjoy both his humor and his poetry.
Near the end of the slam, things took a turn for the worse. Big Poppa E decided to close things out with a final poem, one of his most famous ones. But, as he set up the poem, the volume began to increase. Two guys at the pool table felt as if they were more important than the slam and drew attention to themselves with their noise level, despite everyone's attempts to ask them to quiet down. So, Big Poppa E decided to quiet them down.
Poppa E is not necessarily the "nicest" person ever. Milking laughter from the audience, he made fun of the two boys, loud enough to get their attention. "Go back to your frat house," Poppa E shouted into the microphone. One guy laughed it off. The other approached the windows that separated the stage from the pool table and lifted the middle finger of each hand. Poppa E thought it would be humorous to pretend as if the boy was informing everyone of his IQ, 1.1. Everyone thought it was funny. That is, everyone except the boy.
The young man climbed on stage, enraged. He proceeded to get in Poppa E's face, making Poppa E uncomfortable. Threats were exchanged as Poppa E continued to poke fun at the boy, especially since his arrival on stage caused everyone to take notice at the fact that he is fairly tall. And, just as the boy got too close, Poppa E sent his right hand, holding the wireless microphone, sailing into the boy's forehead. A loud "doonk" echoed through the speakers while people rushed on stage to separate the two before the boy could retaliate. In pain, the boy was rushed out of the Burrow by his friend.
Then, as a victory lap, Big Poppa E proceeded to recite his famous poem: "The Wussyboy Manifesto." Moral of the story: never take jokes too seriously, or height-challenged poets will punch you in the face.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006, a buzz grew in the Burrow as the chairs filled with the butts of those that enjoy a good night of verbal fun. Talk had been circulating all week about HBO Def Poet Big Poppa E being the slam master and those that recognized the name (as well as those eager to meet someone semi-famous) were among the first to arrive. Once the Burrow's massive clock struck 10:00 p.m., the short, chubby, Caucasian man shuffled onto stage, informing his audience of two things: he is Big Poppa E and "tall people suck."
His ranting of a tall-friendly world was humorous at first. It was no different than any of his other jokes, such as referring to senior Laura Woodward as "My Chemical Romance" and singing a song based on the Harry Potter series. People withstood his jokes and, soon enough, the Hendrix community began to enjoy both his humor and his poetry.
Near the end of the slam, things took a turn for the worse. Big Poppa E decided to close things out with a final poem, one of his most famous ones. But, as he set up the poem, the volume began to increase. Two guys at the pool table felt as if they were more important than the slam and drew attention to themselves with their noise level, despite everyone's attempts to ask them to quiet down. So, Big Poppa E decided to quiet them down.
Poppa E is not necessarily the "nicest" person ever. Milking laughter from the audience, he made fun of the two boys, loud enough to get their attention. "Go back to your frat house," Poppa E shouted into the microphone. One guy laughed it off. The other approached the windows that separated the stage from the pool table and lifted the middle finger of each hand. Poppa E thought it would be humorous to pretend as if the boy was informing everyone of his IQ, 1.1. Everyone thought it was funny. That is, everyone except the boy.
The young man climbed on stage, enraged. He proceeded to get in Poppa E's face, making Poppa E uncomfortable. Threats were exchanged as Poppa E continued to poke fun at the boy, especially since his arrival on stage caused everyone to take notice at the fact that he is fairly tall. And, just as the boy got too close, Poppa E sent his right hand, holding the wireless microphone, sailing into the boy's forehead. A loud "doonk" echoed through the speakers while people rushed on stage to separate the two before the boy could retaliate. In pain, the boy was rushed out of the Burrow by his friend.
Then, as a victory lap, Big Poppa E proceeded to recite his famous poem: "The Wussyboy Manifesto." Moral of the story: never take jokes too seriously, or height-challenged poets will punch you in the face.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 7
Rowdy
posted 2/06/07 @ 2:54 PM CST
This story really sucks. You completely misrepresented me and the entire night! You should get your story straight before you decide to tell people about it. (Continued…)
Casey Hickman
posted 2/06/07 @ 3:32 PM CST
Hey man if your going to report a story report the whole story and not just the bit that makes this guy you evidently idolize, "Big Poppa E", sound good. (Continued…)
Betsy R
posted 2/06/07 @ 3:39 PM CST
Casey and Rowdy are right. Get your facts straight before you publish your personal version of something that happened to someone else. You should have enough respect for your fellow Hendrix student to at least get your facts straight rather than write something with the mission of insulting a peer and flattering some so-called "semi-famous" comedian. (Continued…)
Ian M
posted 2/07/07 @ 12:28 AM CST
Whether the facts are right are not, the very image created is hilarious. Furthermore, I've often wondered why the College hasn't looked into installing some soundproofing material or some way of isolating the two areas, as the interference from one side of the Burrow with the other seems to have ramped up in recent years. (Continued…)
not so rowdy
posted 4/24/07 @ 8:40 PM CST
all i can remember of those baseball lugging idiots, was less than human. good job big poppa e
Shamus
Shamus
posted 12/29/07 @ 1:14 AM CST
I know that I'm pretty late on commenting on this, but I'm pretty sure that this article appeared in the "Opinion" section of the paper. In fact, if you scroll to the top of the page, it says "Opinion" at least twice. (Continued…)
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