Scene and Heard: Ticknor Throw-Down

No topic was too taboo for the competitors in Tuesday Magazine’s freestyle rap battle “Outwit.” The event, which was co-sponsored by WHRB’s The Darker Side, drew both the ghetto fabulous and the desperate wannabes to convene in Ticknor last Saturday night.

The battle was like “American Idol” but with a hell of a lot more street cred. Six contestants took part in the veritable verbal skirmishes before an excitable crowd in three rounds. The contestants went head-to-head exchanging heated personal attacks.

Virginia E. Anderson ’08, who helped organize the battle, said she was looking forward to a great show but wasn’t really expecting anything too Tupac-esque. “Harvard students usually write things in books, not like this,” said Anderson.

But many would be surprised to find the dis, “You’re a slave, I’m a white girl, don’t look at me,” as freestyled by Darryl W. Finkton ’10 in any book checked out from Widener. Its retort, “On your face I might be forced to pee… like R. Kelly” by Malcolm R. Rivers ’09 would also probably not please an Expos preceptor.

Tensions ran high when Ben “Bennie Els” Lobardo, a Northeastern student, faced crowd-favorite Finkton. “Bennie Els” rapped that Finkton belonged on the basketball court. Finkton quickly responded, saying he had gotten his “[rhymes] from education” and didn’t need racist jokes to trounce his competitor. Oh snap.

Finkton—who wasn’t even originally planning on competing Saturday night—was declared champion. Looks like this is one Harvard kid who’s not going to get schooled.