Congratulations to the Winners of Kollaboration ATL 4!1

What a night! The fourth-annual Kollaboration Atlanta event got underway with its mind-blowing showcase of local talent that brought everyone—rock bands, hip-hoppers, and dance groups—together for an amazing display of Atlanta’s showmanship. We are proud to announce the winners of Kollaboration Atlanta 4: Adam WarRock for 1st place and Purple Elephant Society in 2nd place!

Photo credit: Ming Chung

Purple Elephant Society, who strolled onstage decked in purple and green, stomped and twirled their way under the spotlight with a dance choreographed around a Men in Black theme, complete with suits, shades, and neuralyzers, the memory-erasing tools from the film. All 29 members, ranging from hip-hop professionals to 14-year-old trainees, were able to impress the judges and come away with the $750 prize.

Photo credit: Johnny Cheng

Photo credit: Ming Chung

Photo credit: Ming Chung

But the highlight of the night for many was Adam WarRock, the geek/nerdcore rapper from Memphis, who was the only act to leave the confines of the stage and make his way through the seated audience as he rapped “Angry Asian Man,” an ode to the popular Asian-culture blogger as well as a statement of the Asian American experience. Judges cited his unique performance and lyrical prowess as their main reasons for selecting him as the winner. Shocked, Adam accepted his $1,000 prize, official trophy, and title as the 1st-place winner of Kollaboration Atlanta 4.

Photo credit: Ming Chung

Photo credit: Johnny Cheng

Photo credit: Johnny Cheng

Photo credit: Ming Chung

To download Adam WarRock‘s winning track “Angry Asian Man”, click on the link below:

“Angry Asian Man” – Adam WarRock

Lyrics to “Angry Asian Man”:

I was born a kid of immigrants,
Parents who lived through passage over the waves crashin’ down
And I grew up as a citizen of places in the midst,
Still blind to the fact that my face was just different from

Most my friends around me, I grew up oblivious
People used to laugh and giggle, pulling back their eyes
Until I realized that I was different in a different kind of way
Outside the black and white

Mama why they keep on callin’ me chink?
Build my mind up with my hate until I’m left next to the brink
Of self hate, and loathing, I cried over the sink
Pushed around by bullies, spawned a different way to think,

Because the South taught me how to relate
To my black friends, and soon it taught me how to escape
When I was rappin’, and so we passed each other mixtapes, and by the end of high school,
I looked upon the world in a different kind of way

Chorus:
Stand up, and show me who you really are
Tell me all the stories that you keep in your hearts
I bet it’s not as different, just the place that it starts
Those tiny cultural shifts that try to tear us apart

Listen up, I’ll tell you who I really am
Generation 2.0 of my family clan
And still I hear all the hate, I know who I am…
A part of me will always be the Angry Asian Man

Verse 2:
I wasn’t raised by no tiger-mother method,
Well maybe a father figure who chose to stay quiet
And parents who pushed me far beyond the level of my limits
That burnt out my sister, because she stopped tryin’

When we speak of myths of model minorities we exhibit
‘Cuz parents raised their kids to be doctors and politicians
And sure, I knew just as many owned stores and businesses
People make a livin’, just survivin’ in the system
The accents made it tougher to speak

And so their kids grew up, and made them tougher to teach
And so the gap between most of the people in the street
And the visions we saw of ourselves when we showed up on the big screen

And we laughed, and I shrugged, and I said, that’s enough
And I let slide the hate that’s inherent in the stuff
And I watched, I grew up, I became what I am
And I said, maybe I’m just an angry Asian man…

[Chorus]

Verse 3:
Listen, I don’t think the world’s racist,
I don’t think that I’ve been mistreated by the news or public mindset
I don’t believe that my life has been a struggle
And I’m blessed with loving parents and a place to do a mic check

So maybe this song isn’t for you, because you’ve never felt the sting
Of what it’s like when you don’t feel at home
In any city, social circle, ’cause my homeland is a place
That language fluency and connection I’ll never go

It’s kinda why I like to rhyme, ’cause nobody can claim
That this is what I’m supposed to do, or place it in a box
And when I exceed the expectations
Whether the fact that I’m Asian and I’m rap, well then it means a lot

And still I try to do my part, reppin’ the city I was born
Black and yellow, and the Seoul of my parents’ place
And maybe you and I can laugh, throw our hands up to the sky
And maybe someday, we’ll all be in a better place

And I used to be mad, maybe I used to gnash my teeth and
Maybe you did too
And maybe banners and flags, maybe the causes that my hands can’t hold,
And so I’m thankful that some people are angry too

And maybe banners and flags, maybe the causes that my hands can’t hold
I’m thankful that some people remain angry too
I’m thankful for the Angry Asian Man in you…

We would like to thank all of the performers, stage crew and production team for their hard work in putting together an amazing night of entertainment for everyone. Thank you to all of our sponsors and guest judges who contributed their time and support to help Kollaboration Atlanta showcase a better event every year. Most importantly, a big THANK YOU to all of the attendees and fans; without your support of local talent, Kollaboration Atlanta’s mission of “Empowerment through Entertainment” would not be possible.

Lastly, a special shoutout to the staff of Kollaboration ATL4 for a fantastic job well done — love y’all!

STAY TUNED for a full show post-review with full coverage of pictures and videos of all competitors!