Kentucky has a strong tradition of YouTube rapping, beginning with Marcus McClinton's 2006 classic "Believe," which was quickly followed by Steve Johnson's stripped down freestyle in 2007. With the critical zeitgeist firmly established, then, it was only a matter of time before an avant garde visionary took the locker room rap to new heights of experimental appropriation, turning a mirror on the form in order to confront audiences with the question, "what is art?"

That auteur has arrived in the form of 5'7", 225-pound backup running back Moncell "Turtle Man" Allen:

From what I gather from Allen's MySpace page, he briefly turned Kentucky's locker room into a hip hop version of The Factory -- possibly funded by his groundbreaking Photoshop work? With Rich Brooks watching quietly but approvingly in the corner, snifter in hand? -- in which he set up the camera for interminable stretches and let his superstars be superstars. Which, make no mistake, they are. Oh how they are.

UPDATE, 10:31 a.m. ET, 4-15: It seems Allen has taken his masterpieces down, probably no coincidence less than 24 hours after hitting the blogosphere. But they'll always live on in our hearts.

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Hat tip: Me, for having the curiosity to search Google images for pictures of an SEC athlete who is actually 5'7", 225 pounds.