Covering The Adamn Killa Meet-Up
A friend of mine sent me a link to Adamn Killa’s post announcing he would be at the Bell Tower (the center of Temple’s campus) for a meet-up around 2 p.m. I had never heard of this guy or what he is famous for.
I figured he was some internet celebrity or influencer (I was kind of right). I assumed no more than twenty students would show up. I was already shooting an assignment for The Temple News at the art school earlier that day, so I figured I’d stop by in case it turned into a good photo opportunity.
Little did I know the pull Killa had on the student body.
Around 1:55 p.m., I started walking toward the Bell Tower and saw a herd of students already gathered, waiting for the influencer to appear.
I grabbed my flash from my bag, strapped it onto my camera, and scoped out the periphery.
I chatted with some students, took a few test shots, and quickly learned that Killa is currently known for an online dance paired with the phrase, “If you are a [insert title], this is for you!” (I personally don’t have TikTok). This was going to be a bigger deal than I thought.
By 2:15 p.m., there was still no Adamn Killa. Since there are only two ways to approach the Bell Tower, I didn’t want to get stuck in the ever-growing crowd when he arrived. I knew I had to anticipate his entrance to get the best shots possible.
To my surprise, the front section of the mob started pushing away from the Bell Tower toward N. 13th Street. Killa was arriving elsewhere. I couldn’t outrun them, so I bolted across campus, past Charles Library, through Founder’s Garden, down Liacouras Walk, and looping around to the front, hoping to catch Killa on the other side.
Luckily, I found an opening behind Killa and his team, who were already standing on the steps of the Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management building, fully surrounded by hundreds of amped-up and wild-eyed students.
I climbed the staircases, dropped down to the front, and stood on top of a trash can to finally get a clear view of the crowd. I can’t lie, I had never witnessed this kind of celebrity pull until yesterday: rows of students desperate for a viral moment handed Killa their phones, cardboard signs, and even cash to get his signature. His tour shirts (to promote his performance alongside Chance the Rapper that night) were $20, but that didn’t stop the crowd from swarming the block.
The sidewalk got so cramped that his team started to collect piles of phones to account for the masses yearning to capture this spectacle. It was strange and overwhelming. They seemed to feed off of his vibrant energy; the more animated he got, the rowdier the students got. Pleas echoed down the crowd for more videos, more clips to be made.
At one point, I saw a student toss up his license for Killa to sign, while another held up a skateboard. One asked to have their vape signed. The crowd kept tightening, and I could see steam rising from a radiator below, starting to fog up my lens. I was now fully surrounded, sweaty, and unsure if I would make it out in one piece.
This was my last stand.
Still holding my ground on top of the trash can, I took a moment to take in the absurdity of it all, to confirm that this was really happening.
After a few more rounds of selfies and performative dance moves, Killa finally jumped down with his team and bolted toward his car. But just as quickly, he stopped, spun around, and shoved himself against a bewildered security guard. With the crowd pressing in around him, recording, he threw it back and uttered the magic words: “Arrest me, daddy.”
