El-P got serious heat over the weekend when he admitted, “I don’t actually care” about the international gaming craze Pokémon Go, predicting that someone will “get accidentally maimed or killed” playing it. Well, that didn’t end well for him, with the expected avalanche of vitriol from budding Pokemasters. So, he did what anyone in his position would: he launched a remix contest by offering up an a cappella freestyle called “Pokémon Rappin,” and challenging fans to make it funky.
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“Pokéman rap, Pokéman rapping/This is the Pokémon rap/I like Pokéman, you like the Pokéman,” he rapped half-heartedly, clearly going off the top and sighing audibly near the end.
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It was tough and the entries clearly impressed the Run the Jewels rapper, who still seemed like he was rolling his eyes a bit at the whole thing in a series of tweets about how the Pokéman is bridging gaps and creating a global community of love.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. TODAY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF OUR LIVES, FOR IT IS THE DAY I ANNOUNCE THE POKEMAN RAPPIN REMIX CONTEST WINNER.
— el-p (@therealelp) July 13, 2016
but first, a quick word about the pokeman and what he means to our community:
— el-p (@therealelp) July 13, 2016
the pokeman is about love. love and poke-ing. together, through his love, we have found each other. together we strive for goodness.
— el-p (@therealelp) July 13, 2016
how does a man judge the community he loves? that he is clearly a part of?
— el-p (@therealelp) July 13, 2016
its not easy, friends. when i hear pokeman rappin remixes all i feel is the overwhelming desire to pokeman with my entire community.
— el-p (@therealelp) July 13, 2016
Well, ladies and gentlepokes, we have a winner of a free t-shirt and hoodie. He’s from Edinburgh, his name is Kip Cozy and his most important win came due to a few important criteria: “poke-cadence, poke-rhythem, and poke volume levels.”
Listen to his hazy, vibe-y winning entry:
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Kip wrote about the healing that his remix brought to the whole Pokémmuinty in his acceptance tweet.
@therealelp I just wanna say thanks so much
i feel we have already healed many souls together from a far distance ! #PokeGang #RunTheJewels
— Kip Cozy (@KipCozy) July 13, 2016
I JUST WON A REMIX CONTEST!!!
THANKS SO MUCH TO @runjewels @therealelp for picking me !
here is my remix, #RTJhttps://t.co/FjjNcrlzWb
— Kip Cozy (@KipCozy) July 13, 2016