El-P Selects Winner of Pokemon Freestyle Remix Contest
El-P has a complicated relationship with the Pokémon community. Over the weekend, he issued a series of tweets making fun of Pokémon Go players. Then he apologized with a half-hearted “freestyle” that professed his love of the franchise and challenged fans to a remix contest – with the winner earning a free shirt and hoodie. Now the Run the Jewels rapper has declared the winner: Scotland’s Kip Cozy.
“When I hear pokeman rappin remixes all I feel is the overwhelming desire to pokeman with my entire community,” El-P tweeted. “I want our whole community to win, and I believe it has,” he continued in hilarious mock-solidarity. “But like with all whole community wins, only 1 person wins.”
The contest began after El-P tweeted about the potential dangers of Pokémon Go, the ubiquitous mobile game that’s developed into a cultural phenomenon. “I will laugh the second one of you gets hit by a car. or softly chuckle to myself. sadly. soft but sad,” he tweeted. “Real shit someone is going to get accidentally maimed or killed off this pokemon shit,” he continued, launching a streak of Poké-related messages. “I’ve gotten more negative feedback from the pokemon community than i have from trump supporters,” he wrote. “I’m actually impressed.”
After dissing fans a few more times, he joked about being “hacked” and resolved himself to “show [his] support” for a game that’s “fun and cute and fun.”
i will be reaching out to leaders of the pokemon community. listening. understanding. improving myself and my capacity for empathy.
— el-p (@therealelp) July 9, 2016
The funniest part of the entire ordeal is El-P’s original “freestyle,” posted on Instagram. “We are a community that likes to Pokéman [sic],” he raps, “and I’m just glad that I’m one of you.”