WASHINGTON (HUNS) – A swarm of students rushed to The Yard from every corner of Howard University’s campus for Adamn Killa’s sudden visit. Many students ran at top speed in hopes of engaging with the rapper and Internet personality while enjoying his presence and upbeat approach to life.
Adamn Killa, who was in town to open for fellow Chicagoan Chance the Rapper at Echostage on Wednesday evening, posted a question on TikTok asking his audience which D.C. university he should visit. Once news broke out that he had chosen Howard, it spread fast and wide across a variety of platforms from Fizz to TikTok — especially with the help of students like Lelani Dexter who immediately commented for him to come to Howard as soon as she woke up.
“Respect to the other colleges,” Dexter said. “The only right answer to pull up for a school in D.C. is Howard University.”
While waiting near the flag pole on The Yard, Dexter described the meaning of Adamn Killa’s visit.
“What he’s actually doing is just bringing back community,” she said. “Like all jokes aside, when it comes to his videos, the reason why it gives so much joy is because it’s so random, it’s so personable and, you know, just bringing joy to common day strangers.”
Others stated they didn’t have class and were there on a whim to see someone who is relatable to a variety of people.
“I’ve always seen his videos,” said MJ Walker, a senior psychology major. “They pop up and my friends will send them to me, because it’s like, ‘If you’re a psych baddie, this is for you.’’
“I like his videos because he targets everybody. They’re funny, because they get really specific. But it’s just a cute way to be interactive online, because you can send them to like mostly anybody.”
Her motivation to meet Adamn Killa stemmed from wanting to take advantage of more opportunities during her final year at Howard.
“I don’t have any class on Wednesdays, and I just want to see it,” she said of Adamn Killa’s visit. “I’m a senior, and I feel like I just have to say yes to most things now. So, I’m saying yes to being outside and waiting for a random TikToker.”
Killa’s visit even attracted non-Howard students like Ethan Corpuel, a worker at a Trader Joe’s in Maryland, who had seen one of the viral “Arrest Me Daddy” videos.
“It’s just cool to see someone, you know, I see online in person,” Corpuel said.
A wide sea of students eagerly awaited Killa’s 2 p.m. arrival. After an hour with no sign of him, the crowd continued to wait and more people joined them on The Yard into the next hour.
As he patiently waited, first-year student Howard Kache said that Killa is a reminder of freedom and the importance of being yourself.
“For us who are in college right now, that’s very important to remember, because we’re here to discover our path, destiny and all that stuff and that changes over time,” Kache said.
“I think Adamn Killa is just a representation of what we should strive to be in terms of like our authentic selves and you know how we present ourselves to people and how we want to be perceived by people.”
After various false alarms, Killa finally arrived. He had barely entered the main entrance of Howard across from Banneker Park when a swarm of students rushed to go see him. Those on The Yard started cheering as they saw him on the horizon followed by an army of fans.
Killa first went to the flagpole and started saying his famous phrase “If you’re [fill in the blank], this is for you.” After quickly accessing the cramped situation and students squishing each other, he moved the crowd toward the steps of the Carnegie building.
The crowd went wild after he chanted “HU!” and the crowd responded “You know!”
He also asked them to join him in unison to record a video for a student stating, “If you’re a baddie in political science, this is for you.” That student was Arianna Jahnke, a sophomore double major in criminology and political science.
“He definitely didn’t have to do that,” said the student, Arianna Jahnke, a sophomore double major in criminology and political science. “It was cool that I was close enough and that he thought my idea was good enough to save for a video.”
“It was kind of inspiring to just see how much of an impact somebody can have regardless of what the topic matter is — especially because of the content that he produces, just mainly online, dancing and saying phrases,” Jahnke added. “It makes you think that if someone like that can gain that much attraction and make a very visible impact on other people, that really anybody can.”
Various testimonies from students state a common theme about what Adamn Killa represents: community, freedom, authenticity, culture, connection and being spontaneous.
“He represents freedom and the ability to just be yourself and be in your own space doing what you want to do the way you want to do it,” Kache said
Jahnke said, “He is a testament that we don’t always have to be super serious all the time and that you can do fun, ridiculous stuff online and have real impact on other people and mean something to other people.” She added “The things that you’re doing are important, not only to you, but to a large group of other people that your content is reaching.”
Waller said, “The Howard community can seem divided, but really we like to band together. Everyone’s outside right now just for this. And I think it’s really beautiful. So I would say he definitely represents just being able to bring people together and connect with them.”
Adamn Killa aka Adam Kelly came to Howard by popular demand. Plus, he also wanted to visit an HBCU, making Howard his first to accomplish this desire.
He reflects on what he believes his impact is to the Howard student body. “I think it shows people could come together and have a fun time and everything would be nice and fun.”
“Thank you Howard,” he said.
Bamidele Aina is a reporter for Howard University News Service.
