Ladies and gentlemen, it’s back–and bigger than ever! Next week brings the arrival of Epic Fest 2013–Slapdash Entertainment’s third annual presentation of the best in local and regional hip hop. If you thought they went big last year when they took over Kingdom for an entire weekend, wait until you see what they’ve got in store for you this year!
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s back–and bigger than ever! Next week brings the arrival of Epic Fest 2013–Slapdash Entertainment’s third annual presentation of the best in local and regional hip hop. If you thought they went big last year when they took over Kingdom for an entire weekend, wait until you see what they’ve got in store for you this year! Four days, five shows, and over 60 different musical performers will bring you the final word in VA hip hop, R&B, soul, and funk music. And at only $40 for a four-day all access pass, it’s so cheap, you can’t afford NOT to go! A huge event like this can only be called one thing… wait for it…. EPIC! Get ready for the long weekend of your life!
It all kicks off on Wednesday, June 26 at 6 PM with the first of two Day One shows–Summer Breeze, happening at Aqua Lounge. Located at 1708 E. Main St, Aqua Lounge has an upscale dress code, but you’ll want to rock your finest threats at this showcase of smooth R&B and soul sounds from the area. Headlined by hometown songstress Anhayla, this event will also feature such up-and-coming singers as Lela Bizz, Barry Barz, Dante Lyriq, and more! Come dressed to the nines and enjoy an evening of passionate music in an immaculate environment. It’s a perfect way to celebrate passing the halfway point of the work week and ease into the weekend.
On the other hand, if you want to kick things off with a bang, you can spend your Wednesday evening at the other Epic Fest Day One show–Project Wake Up, taking place at Infuzion. At 1401 Roseneath Rd, Infuzion is located just north of the Museum District in Scott’s Addition. Doors will open at 7 PM, with the music kicking off at 8, and with the music at Aqua ending at 10 PM, you can still catch most of the Project Wake Up show if you head over afterwards. Project Wake Up is an evening of energetic hip hop, featuring artists like Doeboy Da Dude, Ms. Proper, D Carduh, and many more, and Slapdash will be keeping the party going until after 1 AM. So if your weekend starts on Wednesday every single week, this is the show for you!
On Day Two, Thursday, June 27, Epic Fest continues with Ear Responsibility, beginning at 7 PM at The Canal Club. Located at 1545 E. Cary St, this show takes it back to Shockoe Bottom for a wide-ranging evening of hip hop to delight your senses and expand your horizons. Featuring everyone from Young Richmond Outcasts to Hi Collar Scholar to Cain McCoy to Ohbliv to the New Juice Crew, this show will explore all of the different facets that make up the sound of hip hop in 2013, and keep you dancing all the while!
Day Three begins the weekend the way bosses measure it, with a Friday night party known as The Twerk Shop. This evening returns Epic Fest to last year’s site of triumphant hip hop (and tragic power failures, but let’s not dwell on that)–Kingdom, which can be found at 10 Walnut Alley (between 17th and 18th St). If you couldn’t tell by the title, this is a night for dancing, and artists like Artik Phreeze, J Roddy Rod, and Doe aka Paper Boy will be on hand playing the tunes that keep your booty shaking until last call and beyond. Friday night is a time for throwing away your inhibitions and leaving it all on the dance floor, so come down to Kingdom on Friday, June 28 at 9:30 PM and show Richmond how you twerk!
Epic Fest Day Four is the last roundup, and since it’s Saturday and you (hopefully) ain’t got no job to go to, the final show of Epic Fest 2013 will start early in the afternoon and last well into the night, making this a full day of, well, epic proportions! Sunny Daze kicks off at 3 PM on Saturday, June 29 at Aurora, located at 401 E. Grace St. This is the day it’s all been building up to, so the biggest names in RVA hip hop will be hitting the stage at Aurora during this show. Noah O, Nickelus F, Michael Millions, Teleport Team, Conrizzle–they’ll all be here, along with a lot more great artists that you don’t want to miss! After this night is over, there’ll be no more Epic Fest for another year, so make this one count!
Slapdash Entertainment put together the first two years of Epic Fest without major corporate backing, which says a lot for their entrepreneurial drive and energy. This year, it’s paid off, as Coors Light has partnered with the group to help bring all this great hip hop to the citizens of RVA. With all stages also sponsored by Crown Royal, and additional support from Rumors Boutique, Kulture, West Coast Kix, BluEMPIRE, Beats & Breakfast, Boobz & Tattooz, Climatic Nation, Bombay Knox, Dope Music Blog, and your friends right here at RVA Magazine, Slapdash has really taken Epic Fest 2013 to a whole new level.
And the best part about it all is that we’re able to bring you an opportunity to win a pair of VIP passes to all five shows that are taking place at Epic Fest 2013! Because we here at RVA Mag love our readers so much, we’ve gotten together with Slapdash Entertainment to bring you this incredible opportunity, and if you’re wise, you’ll make the most of it! Enter your info into the futuristic computerized box below this text for a chance to win, and then keep an eye out for extra chances to enter! This giveaway ends at 5 PM on Tuesday, June 25, so don’t waste any time–enter now!
If you don’t want to take chances on the ticket giveaway, don’t worry, because advance tickets are available online right now! In addition to the option of getting an all access pass for $40 (that’s only $8 a show, making it by far the best deal), tickets for individual shows are also available for between $10 and $12, depending on the show. If the events don’t sell out (and there’s no guarantee they won’t), you’ll still have the option of walking up and paying at the door, but admission will be $15 per show at the door, so grabbing an all access pass could save you as much as $35! Seems like the way to go, right? Yeah, we thought so too. Order your advance tickets here: http://epicfest2013.eventbrite.com/ And tell ’em RVA Mag sent ya!
