House of Paint shines light on hip hop
The 14th-annual celebration provides insight into hip-hop culture
More than 200 urban dancers, hiphop artists, graffiti artists and DJs will congregate this weekend to participate in the 14th-annual edition of the House of PainT festival.
Built on the four pillars of hiphop culture — urban dance, graffiti art, DJ’ing and MC’ing — the festival’s mandate is to “celebrate and elevate” the culture while nurturing the grassroots community in which it started. Most events take place under the Dunbar Bridge at Brewer Park, plus a few other downtown locations.
“It’s grown a whole lot,” said Sami Elkout, the urban dancer who is in his first year as general manager after several years as the dance co-ordinator, and a few more years as a performer and fan. “It’s a grassroots festival that’s for artists by artists, so there are always challenges in maintaining integrity while still growing, and we’ve been able to manage that.
“I think we still provide the same feeling that people really appreciate about the festival, which is a chance for all these art forms to come together in the community and experience an awesome event.”
The complete lineup is online at houseofpaint.ca. Here are some highlights of this year’s edition:
OG 500 POETRY SLAM
Hosted by poets John Akpata and Just Jamaal, the three-round battle finds 12 spoken-word artists vying for a $500 prize, with a featured performance by Jalal Nuriddin, who’s considered one of the grandfathers of rap. The slam runs from 6 to 10 p.m. today at La Nouvelle Scene, 333 King Edward Ave. All ages.
DMC OTTAWA
Each competitor in the regional finals of the Canadian DMC Battleground gets six minutes at the turntables to brandish their skills as a scratch DJ, with the winner selected by a panel of judges. It happens Thursday at Kinki Lounge, 41 York St. Doors open at 10 p.m. Age of majority card required.
GRAFFITI WALL
The urban art form is what started House of PainT back in 2003, when the city granted a free zone for legal art under the Dunbar Bridge, where Bronson Avenue crosses the Rideau River. The tradition continues with invited artists, including Poutine and Juan Carlos, creating artworks on-site throughout the festival, starting Friday.
BAZAAR DANCE SHOWCASE
One of the rare non-competitive events in the urban dance world, the Friday night showcase features choreographers and performers from Ottawa and beyond. The action takes place under the Dunbar Bridge, along with live music, DJs, poetry and a popping competition. The fun starts at 6 p.m. All ages.
’PON DE RIVER BOAT CRUISE
One of Ottawa’s most popular parties, Timekode, hits the Ottawa River for a special end-of-summer bash as part of House of PainT. DJs Zattar and Memetic will spin the tunes, with a guest appearance by Bear Witness of A Tribe Called Red. The ship sails from the Hull marina at Jacques Cartier Park at 10 p.m. Friday, returning at 2 a.m. Tickets are $25, available at timekode.com. Age of majority.
SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA
Capping off Saturday’s jampacked schedule of workshops, dance competitions, youth showcases, poetry and music under the Dunbar Bridge is one of Ottawa’s funkiest live bands. Souljazz Orchestra returns to House of PainT to provide the soundtrack for the 8:30 p.m. breakdancing finals, followed by a 9 p.m. concert, which is sure to feature tunes from their forthcoming album, Under Burning Skies. Activities run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. All ages. Free admission.
KNOWLEDGE CONFERENCE
Described as a series of Ted Talks for hip-hop heads, Sunday’s free conference portion of the festival features a keynote address by
headliner A-Trak, in addition to workshops and info sessions on various aspects of career development. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Seeds Tent on-site at Brewer Park. A separate series of master classes for dancers is offered at Flava Factory, 1076 Wellington St. W.
CONCERT
The festival’s central musical event is Sunday’s big concert in Brewer Park, featuring the worldrenowned Montreal DJ A-Trak as the headliner. Also on the bill are old-school rappers Smif-N-Wessun, Montreal’s Dubmatique and a host of Ottawa artists, including Adam Bomb, Rita Carter, Cody Coyote and more. Tickets are $30, plus fees, available at houseofpaint.ca. The music starts at 3 p.m. All ages.