About a year ago, I was sitting right where I am now, scrolling through all the Wikipedia pages of the colleges I was thinking of attending. Out of all the choices, one small detail stuck out to me. I came to the conclusion Richmond that was quickly becoming the pioneer city in Virginia for Hip-Hop. Epic Fest was a fine example of the wondrous achievement that has been made in the area. I was told once that Richmond used to be a city of top 40 bangers and club anthems. Now, courtesy of Cain McCoy and Octavion Xcellence of Slapdash, the local entertainment firm, has delighted the area by bringing hip-hop cult favorites Fam-Lay, along with Chance Fischer, Shaolin Park, Artik Phreeze, Noah O, Ivory Snow, Conrizzle and Nickelus F to The Camel on Friday, June 24.
About a year ago, I was sitting right where I am now, scrolling through all the Wikipedia pages of the colleges I was thinking of attending. Out of all the choices, one small detail stuck out to me. I came to the conclusion Richmond that was quickly becoming the pioneer city in Virginia for Hip-Hop. Epic Fest was a fine example of the wondrous achievement that has been made in the area. I was told once that Richmond used to be a city of top 40 bangers and club anthems. Now, courtesy of Cain McCoy and Octavion Xcellence of Slapdash, the local entertainment firm, has delighted the area by bringing hip-hop cult favorites Fam-Lay, along with Chance Fischer, Shaolin Park, Artik Phreeze, Noah O, Ivory Snow, Conrizzle and Nickelus F to The Camel on Friday, June 24.
Arriving to the show, I saw that the population of the venue could clearly be identified as hip-hop fans. Everyone was decked out in the latest trends, resembling something out of the Complex Style section. Slapdash brought in style reps from The Lux Brands and Grape Cloth (who was offering a commemorative shirt for Epic artist Conrizzle), as well as Kulture and West Coast Kix, giving sponsorship to complete the cultural fashion front. One cool feature of The Camel is the casual ambience that resonates from the venue. With dimmed, but not darkened lights, the pregame had a relaxed feel of cocktails and conversation. This ran parallel with discussion with neighbors of tonight’s artists, as well as general “hip-hop head” (I hate that term) talk. It’s funny to me that I say this though, because Hip-Hop is just one of those things you’re into or you’re not. There’s no in between with being a fan of some non-mainstream artist, you either can recollect Fam-Lay’s entire catalog and entire Star Trek production, or you can’t talk about any of it.
After some troubles with the sound system, the show started out with homegrown talent Chance Fischer, who was fitted out with a wreath crown to match his Julius Ceaser persona. Next was fellow founder and event coordinator Cain McCoy, who held his own with an energetic performance and lyricism that competed with the best of the show. Shaolin Park was an impressive crew out of Norfolk that brought a classic edge, performing songs from their newest tape, Adult Swim. Artik Phreeze represents the local Petersburg scene with a dirty south edge that compliments his Pharrell like influenced production nicely. Before the show, I opened Style Weekly to pass the time and found a nice feature about the following performer, Noah O. Noah is a staple and veteran of the Richmond hip-hop scene, with lyrics and production that represents the gritty city to its finest. His video “I Got It” recently premiered on MTV, and nearly the entire video was shot right at The Camel. Listening to some of Ivory Snow’s material, I can tell you he’s someone to look out for in the area.
One thing about this event that intrigued me was the amount of artists performing in such a short time period, especially with the necessity of allowing enough time for the headliner, Fam-Lay, to perform. Everyone was given a comfortable 30-45 minute set, yet it was still a tight time frame given the technical issues that arose earlier in the event. After Ivory Snow’s performance, everyone was hyped in anticipation for Fam-Lay’s performance, and looking around, I saw that the room had slowly transformed into almost standing room only.
Fam-Lay was probably the highlight of the event, as everyone recited the words over his Neptunes produced tracks. One of the most intriguing points of the evening was that everyone in attendance knew Fam-Lay’s entire catalog. Even artists like Tyler, the Creator pay homage to the Norfolk MC. With one of the more impressive hip-hop shows I’ve seen, I can assure you Fam-Lay is going to be a threat on the national scene within the next year. Kudos to Slapdash for their wise choice of a headliner.
The night was rounded off with North Carolina’s own Conrizzle and local gem Nickelus F. Conrizzle has quite the repertoire of production and lyrical content in his catalog, which brought an eclectic feel to his performance. Where Nickelus F’s performance was concerned, I guess you could use the cliché of saving the best for last, but that would be an understatement. If you ask anyone in Virginia, Nickelus F should’ve been given a major deal years ago. We’ve all heard about the local legend’s work in teaching Drake, being one of the greatest on BET’s Freestyle Fridays, one of Complex’s “Ten Most Underrated New Rappers” etc. Essentially the man has more history than St. John’s Church, but nothing reflects more positively on him than just sitting down and listening to his material. All of his tapes are full of raw, inventive lyrics, with an array of amazing production. I honestly can’t say enough about Nick Fury, other than to recommend taking a day and sorting through his incredible catalog yourself.
All in all, the festival was a crash course for me in the amazing talent that surrounds the River City. One of the coolest parts about hip-hop is the constant innovation of wordplay and intellectualism that fills the culture. One of the reasons that I fell in love with hip-hop was just because it was different than anything else I’d ever heard. It was smart, but funny. It was gritty, but kind. It was cool, but not corny. Overall, it had a unique cultural persona. Epic Fest was a small step in the right direction, feeding the creation and harvesting of this great art form. Next time anyone comes out to support good hip-hop in the area, maybe you’ll say the same.
