Video by Kaitlyn Connolly

The crowd could not keep from jumping out of their seats at the fourth annual Clash of the Titans IV rap battle Saturday.

The Lory Student Center Theater was packed beyond capacity with responsive audience members and competitors.

“This rap battle is huge for a lot of students here on campus,” said Kent Washington, a sophomore theater major hosting the event. “We don’t have the luxury of having a lot of hip hop events in Colorado as it is. It’s growing, but having this event here in Fort Collins is huge.”

The local rappers who participated in the event were Ink, Khalil, Kweez, Shak Ra, Poetik Genius, Sesugh, Type 1 and Ronnie Krocket.

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Photos by Stephanie Mason

The event also featured performances from DJ XCLUSIVE, Kent Washington, Dela Sean, PC, Restless 4 Cash and King Los.

During Washington’s performance, the crowd rushed the stage to join the excitement.

“I am here to facilitate all the rap battles that are taking place,” Washington said. “Pretty much promote hype and have a good time and promote positive vibes.”

The crowd was on their feet within seconds of the first round between competitors Type 1 and Ronnie. Type 1 proceeded to win second place overall.

At the beginning of the event, Washington led a chant saying “UMC (United Men of Color)” with the response from competitors “We all we got.”

The event winner was CJ Calvert, who goes by the stage name of Poetik Genius, referred to as PG. This win marked the second consecutive year that PG came in first place.

Each rapper gave an initial performance followed by a rebuttal round. Before the top two moved on to the final round, the contestants were ranked by a panel of judges.

“I think it’s cool because you get to see the guys that you go to school with in a different light, like as performers,” event attendee Meghan Jordan said.

Aquila Barber, who attended the event, said it was the best rap battle she had been to.

“I think there is a lot of different diversity and that makes it really cool,” Barber said.

Determined Nation Magazine and ASCSU hosted the event to support United Men of Color.

According to their Facebook page, United Men of Color is an organization at CSU that works towards creating an impact on campus and building community through service, leadership development and culturally-inclusive programs.

“It is awesome to promote positivity and people can chase their dreams and actually platform their talents,” Washington said.

Collegian reporter Stephanie Mason can be reached at news@collegian.com and on Twitter at @StephersMason