The Nation’s Capital Brings The Heat

On Friday, our resident music maven brought you an article that asked the question, “where does hip hop belong in Ottawa?” Well, I’m here to say that Ottawa’s hip hop scene was out in full force at Ritual Nightclub last night. With three local acts opening up for Queens emcee Action Bronson, Ottawa’s hip hop talent proved that they were there to bring the heat and make names for themselves within the budding scene.

On Friday, Jess interviewed hip-hop artist, Spitten Image, who opened the show. With a short set that was hard hitting, you could feel the excitement both on-stage and off. Opening his set with chants of “I Love Hip Hop”, he definitely proved that he is doing what he loves and easily convinced the audience to join him on the ride. The perfect opening act, Spitten Image got things started on the right foot, amping up the crowd and warming things up for Philly Moves.

Philly Moves did not disappoint. A group that has seen much success around thecountry already, Philly Moves is a hip hop duo that bring the party to the stage with them. All smiles, Tynan “Tragic” Phelan, Jon “Rockwell” Desilva, Hassan “Dj So Nice” Hamdan played a set that kept the energy high and worked off of audience participation. Their set included their hit, “Things That I Like”, and they definitely solidified their place on my list of things that I like.

In a nutshell, the show was a huge success. Flight Distance and Action Bronson brought it home, with the crowd loving every minute as the night unfolded. Ottawa definitely proved that they are digging the hip-hop scene and the artists that are working to blow it up. For local acts like Spitten Image and Philly Moves, it only goes up from here. Philly Moves is slated to drop their latest music video on December 2nd, and Spitten Image is working on his new mix tape, Open Mic Night, scheduled for release in early January. As for Ottawa, even though it’s all business this Monday morning, last night’s show proved that there’s still room for hip hop in the Nation’s Capital.