I have to admit, I was skeptical about a hip-hop event being held in tiny McLeod Hall Auditorium, but Battlegrounds proved it could be done.
Students from Liberty University joined those from the University and packed into the auditorium to see an intense dance-off and a fierce free-style rap battle sponsored by Sigma Gamma Rho and EMC Talent Group. The performances were so huge they could hardly be contained within the walls of the building.
None of it would have been possible without the indispensable DJ Quest to man the turntables and keep the party alive. Quest, an independent deejay signed to EMC Talent group, brought label connections from Def Jam, G-Unit, RPM Music Group and Street Academy with him to the event.
I had the opportunity to speak to DJ Quest on the phone before Battlegrounds. He assured me that "people of the art itself" would enjoy the dancing, not just fans of hip hop. He said that I would see b'boying, crunk dancing and choreog-raphy with "all forms of dancing combined into one."
DJ Quest pointed out The Representatives and Alan Powell, also with EMC, as performers to watch out for at Battlegrounds. Powell, decked in a white "Jesus is My Homeboy" t-shirt, matching pants and pageboy hat, stood out as the immediate crowd-pleaser. With a large group of his fellow Liberty students in attendance, Powell was cheered on as he sang and busted out choreographed moves with The Representatives that rivaled *NSYNC at their peak. In fact, Powell reminded one of a brunette Justin Timberlake, possessing the same triple threat of awesome singing, powerful dancing and fly style. With guys like Powell coming along, it's no wonder J.T. is getting into the movie business.
Alicia Hines, president of Sigma Gamma Rho, also told me to be on the lookout for the two dance teams, Lynchburg's Dead on Arrival (DOA for short) and Richmond's 4 Da Streetz.
4 Da Streetz showcased their choreography over a dance mix featuring "Seasons of Love" from RENT. My eyes could hardly keep up with the elaborate footwork and arm movements, making for a hypnotic experience. I thought they had exhausted every possible dance move by the end of their perfor-mance, but I was wrong. They had a few more moves up their sleeves for the dance-off against Dead on Arrival.
Things seemed to get downright vicious with every passing round of dancing. 4 Da Streetz's dancers stuck with team-oriented moves while DOA's dancers preferred to showcase a few individuals at a time. Regardless, it was a nail-biter with no clear winner. Ultimately, DOA's affection for working low to the floor and the effective use of a human pyramid won them the loudest audience response. Representatives from Def Jam Records, acting as judges for the event, declared that the dance-off was a draw.
The rap battle was just as tough, if not nastier, featuring bragging and insult-slinging. When a student from U.Va. faced Logik of Street Academy, however, the intensity reached a new level. As the undefeated champ from 2003 to the present Logik served his opponent with such lines as "by the looks of your haircut, he's in need of some Rogaine" and one that alluded to dangling a baby out of a window like Michael Jackson to win the competition.
Between the planned performances, Quest delighted audience members with prize giveaways. He also stuck true to his deejay philosophy of "it's not for me to keep up with you, it's for you to keep up with me" by giving the audience plenty of opportunities to get out of their seats and groove to the hottest hip-hop beats. All in all, Battlegrounds was a huge success. Don't feel bad if you missed out this time around -- you can catch Quest and company later this semester at Spring Fling.
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