Winterfest: The Wait is Over!

For those of you who follow our little blog that could, you know that over the course of the past month we have posted multiple artist features, highlighting some of the phenomenal hip hop talent that Ottawa has to offer. As much as we love these artists on their own, there is a bigger picture that links them all together, and links them to us. That link is Winterfest, and thankfully the wait is almost over.

Winterfest is a one of a kind event being thrown by CKCU-FM, Canada’s first campus-based community radio station on Carleton University campus, which seeks to provide an environment to celebrate all that hip hop culture has to offer our wonderful city. While Ottawa may be known as, “the place where fun comes to die,” Winterfest is definitely an example of how off the mark this stereotype is. An all-day, all-night event that will not only feature a plethora of live performances by the city’s biggest and up and coming performers, Winterfest will also feature live-art demonstrations, a showcase on fashion to fit the hip-hop lifestyle and much, much more.

The response to the event has been overwhelming, with acts from around the country and an array of sponsors signing up to be a part of this one of a kind festival. Indeed, the interest in the event has been so positive, that a ‘Jump-Off Showcase’ has been announced for the evening prior (THIS Friday January 20th, 2012) featuring industry legend, Moka Only, heavy-hitter from Brooklyn, Pumpkinhead, Ottawa’s Favourite Live Act, Philly Moves and more. This intimate setting will kick off a weekend that is sure to be a huge success.

Make sure that if you don’t already have your tickets, you pick them up soon. With approximately 1100 listed as ‘Attending’ on Winterfest’s Facebook page, I’m sure it’ll be a sold out crowd at Oliver’s Pub. We at inanutshell couldn’t be more excited to take in all that Winterfest has to offer, and we will be covering the event this Saturday January 21st. Follow us on twitter for our live-tweeting and make sure to come and find us in person!

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NEED TICKETS? (Come by and say hi!)

The day-time portion of Winterfest is open to all-ages and the general public. The night-time portion is 19+ (with valid ID), where members of the general public must be signed in by a student.

Pick up your tickets in person @
Oliver’s Pub – 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa 
Mama Cee – 8-1020 St. Laurent Blvd, Ottawa
Reap & Sew – 401 Dalhousie St. Ottawa 
Fall Down Gallery – 288 Bank St. Ottawa
Top of the World – 158 Rideau St, Ottawa 
Vertigo Records – 193 Rideau St, Ottawa

Get tickets ONLINE or BY PHONE @
www.ticketweb.ca / (866)662-3449

M.A.STER of his Domain

“I do it for my city”, is the message that Hip-Hop artist Marvin Anokye (M.A.) broadcasts in his song suitably titled “My City” off his debut mixtape “Veuve Cliquot”. The lyrics express his devotion to the city he calls home, where his career as a lifestyle rapper has been maturing since the ripe age of 16. The song is just one indicator of his, and other artists’, allegiance to Ottawa and the Hip-Hop scene they’ve laboriously enriched recently. M.A. explains, “We’re getting attention from across the country and here at home many of us [artists] feel if we can keep this momentum going it will translate to more opportunities for a talent-rich city such as Ottawa”.

After the disbandment of his first music group, M.A. took several years to mature his craft. He struggled to find his sound with local engineers, forcing him to truly go solo and find the well-rounded artist – writing, recording and mixing – he always knew he had in him. “It took me a while to make the transition to a solo artist, but around the age of 19-20, I found my sound and have been on the right path ever since”, M.A. remarks. His debut release of “Veuve Cliquot”, a mixtape that has garnered him a lot of attention locally and beyond, is definitely an indication of the developing path he speaks of.

M.A.’s creativity and aptitude for sound stem from a young age, he says, growing up in a home where music played around-the-clock. His mother even says Michael Jackson was the only solution to end his tears as a baby, “it kind of just came natural for me to want to contribute” he says.

M.A. calls himself a lifestyle rapper, which he defines as “being 100% with your listeners”, in other words, tackling the raw emotions that listeners can really connect with on a day-to-day level. This, M.A. says, is his greatest inspiration for song writing, “to bring out feeling – any feeling – from within the heart and soul of the listeners”. The rapper, whose role models include his father and Jay-Z, says these qualities set him apart from the rest.

Certainly, organized events like Winterfest, which gives local artists the opportunity to showcase their palpable talent, will only enhance the Hip-Hop presence in Ottawa that has been amplifying in recent years. M.A. is one of many of these flourishing talents, and we are looking forward to see what’s next for this rising star. M.A. says that in 2012 he hopes to “release a few hit singles that do well on the college charts, gain exposure via social media, and ultimately get myself picked up by a major label.” We expect to hear much more from M.A. and know that ‘his city will be with him’ when he gets on stage at Winterfest 2012 – we’ll be watching!

For more information on Winterfest, visit http://winterfestottawa.ca/. Stay tuned for more artist profiles from in a nutshell!