Music, dancing, sex and politics were all fair game at “Wild ‘N Out”: the first comedy show adopted into traditional Pan-Afrikan Week festivities. Friday night, students gathered in Talley Student Union’s State Ballroom as four established comedians, all featured on MTV’s show “Wild ‘N Out,” came together as the Freestyle Funny Comedy Show (FFCS). The comedic group, featuring Tyler Chronicles, Osama Bin Drankin’, B Daht and Burpie, has been providing comedic relief nationwide since late 2009.
The theme of this year’s Pan-Afrikan Week was “Reawakening,” a tribute to the cultural explosion that was the Harlem Renaissance. UAB’s Black Students Board once again achieved in its goal of encouraging students to learn about African-American ancestors as well as celebrating the bountiful world of African-American culture. As Pan-Afrikan Week features many educational events, “Wild ‘N Out” provided students with a chance a come together in sharing laughs while watching, for some, nostalgic cultural icons. Raven Blount, a sophomore studying nutrition science and the Black Students Board chair-elect, was one of these students with a special appreciation for “Wild ‘N Out.”
“This event is a way that everyone can kick back and unwind,” Blount said. “Many of us grew up watching MTV’s ‘Wild ‘N Out’ TV show late at night, when we probably should have been sleeping, so I think it’s dope to have the opportunity to have the experience here on our campus.”
The comedy show began with a game called Changing Stations, which featured the four male comedians acting out a typical episode that would air on popular American talk show “Maury.” Burpie acted as “Vanessa,” a woman insistent on getting “Klevaughn,” (Drankin’) to confess to being her baby’s father. The accurate depiction of the drama-filled episodes on “Maury”had the audience laughing from the start, as the comedians proved their ability to present unfiltered, comedic representations of real instances.
Burpie was one of the comedians who presented more serious topics in his individual act, in a lighthearted, relatable way. Burpie touched on typical tendencies of African-American culture, such as bombastic church services. After sharing a story about how he couldn’t understand a black gas station worker with non-standard verbal speech, who was trying to give him directions, the African-American comedian noted the ridiculousness of racism that is still present in the 21st century.
“I hate racism,” Burpie said. “Racism is so dumb. It’s 2017, and we still have a problem with race. Why? We all do the same thing we just do it in different ways.”
The four black comedians had audience members hunched over their chairs as they vocalized common struggles among black people in a hilarious, understandable way. Deijah Barnes, a junior studying social work and the Black Students Board chair, has worked to meet the board’s goal of increasing unity among African-American students. Her work with Pan-Afrikan week especially helped reach this goal.
“Pan-Afrikan Week is jam-packed this year as we had to add an extra two days to include all the planned festivities,” Barnes said. “We as a board had a vision to go above and beyond to bring NC State students a great week of events. This year, we decided to deviate from the typical concert and add some comedic relief to the week with the ‘Wild ‘N Out’ comedy show.”
The comedians incorporated singing, dancing and impersonations into their acts and engaged the audience with games, such as “two pictures one word,” where two volunteers battled it out in a Pictionary-like competition.
The success of Pan-African Week in increasing community among African-American students is evident in students like Achaia Dent, sophomore studying animal science and Black Students Board committee member, who was particularly affected by the cultural celebration.
“Although I’ve only been here for one previous Pan-Afrikan Week, I can attest to that being one of the best weeks I’ve ever had on NC State’s campus,” Dent said. “I felt so included and welcomed. The events were plentiful and a great balance of academically based and fun filled. The community really comes together to build each other up.”
This year’s week-long celebration also incorporated community service, with the collection of school supplies for local schools, as well as informative workshops and “lunch and learn” sessions which helped to educate the public on the rich depth of African-American culture.
Comedian B-Daht warms the crowd up with some hilarious stand-up comedy during the “Wild ‘N Out” comedy show in Talley Student Union’s State Ballroom on Friday. B-Daht was the host of the show along with his fellow comedians Chico Bean, Darren Bran and Osama Bin Drankin’. The show not only contained stand-up comedy but also hilarious improv and a variety of audience participation in games.
