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DC Standup Home
August 11-17
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Larry Poon
Born Lawrence Poonowski, June 197X, Larry grew up in the tough "CrackLand" housing projects in S.E. Washington, DC. Larry began his career as a radio disc jockey going by the name “Hot Boy” Larry Poon. Fed up with the cookie cutter ways of corporate radio, Larry quit radio to try and make it big in the burgeoning DC hip-hop scene. One fateful night, Larry was in a DC nightclub washroom, dropping a deuce and singing an electrifying version of NWA's "Express Yourself." A local record label producer named Krazy with a K was in the very next stall and immediately slid a contract under the stall door. A few months later Larry would make his mark on the hip-hop scene as a guest on Local DC Hip Hop Legend Weegie's 1999 hit, "Red Light! Green Light!" Larry took his act to Europe. His highly stylized debut album "Poonified" (download the single here) topped the charts in Luxembourg for 44 weeks. To this day, Larry Poon is the only artist to have a song air on all 9 of Luxembourg's radio stations. The album was not warmly received by music critics, but still managed to sell more than 450,000 records in a country with a population of 454,157. However, high production and promotional cost (including giving away 25 euros with each album) would later lead to financial woes which are still plaguing the artist today. Rap Pioneer Afrika Bambaataa , once declared Poon: "Pound for pound, note for note, word for word, the best entertainer I have ever seen in my life." "Larry Poon is a man for all seasons, all people, all times. His name has, in the hearts of millions, become synonymous with peace, love and brotherhood." With those words, Congressman Les Aspin of Wisconsin concluded his breakfast with waffles. Upcoming ShowsLarry's complete schedule can be found at www.larrypoon.com. |
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