If you crave intensity, excitement, and the power of spoken word, you won’t want to miss this!
The Victoria Event Centre (VEC) will be hosting The Bridge, an outstanding lineup of local rap battle artists all residing from different areas on Vancouver Island.
Tune in on Saturday, January 20th and watch as they go head-to-head, ready to prove themselves superior and claim the top spot.
“Audiences will get to see an exciting mix of hip hop, comedy, and competitive roasting that creates a vibe like nothing else,” Mike Simpson, organizer of the event, told Victoria Buzz.
“Carter Deems is a world class talent and PoRich is a former Canadian champion…they’re going up against two Islanders with a long and storied history in BC battle rap.”
Simpson has been running battle events for around a decade in the Vancouver and Surrey area, but he’s always wanted to spearhead another event on the Island and showcase all of the rappers who would attend their events on the mainland.
“I had a good conversation with Apos [who’s from Victoria] a month ago where we were talking about how cool it would be for an event to happen in Victoria again, and we knew that there was interest on the island,” he said.
“I think the timing just makes sense with the development of Island artists.”
For example, artists Kreative and his brother Nuckzy, who are both on the card and representing the 14 tribes of Nuu-Cha-Nulth territory, have had an incredible breakout year, and Coyote will be making a triumphant return to battle rap after beating cancer.
“With everyone where they’re at, doing a big battle event in Victoria to showcase just how good the island’s talent base is was a no brainer in my eyes,” Simpson said.
“I expect audiences will get amped when they see just how good the local talent is. Locally, our three names with the most hype are Kreative, Sirreal and Apos, and I know the three of them will all have the audience rooting for them.”
He added that this is likely Apos’ last battle, and as a legend in the BC scene, he’s deserving of a hometown send-off.
Tickets for this event are $30 if purchased online and $40 at the door!
The full list of performers and where they’re representing are as follows:
- Kreative: Kyuquot/Cheklesaht representing the 14 tribes of Nuu-Cha-Nulth territory.
- Apos: Victoria
- Sirreal: Nanaimo
- Rev Ron: Nanaimo
- David Kinch: Victoria
- Nuckzy: Campbell River representing the 14 tribes of Nuu-Cha-Nulth territory.
- Coyote: Nanaimo
- Willie B: Salt Sprint Island
- EB: Victoria
- Illcoz: Sooke
Because of the overwhelming supportive response from the rap community, Simpson was happy to share that there will most likely be a second Bridge event and will release more on that when they finalize details.
So, if you’re a rap battle artist hoping to perform, you still can in the future!
The Bridge: Live Rap Battles
- Where: Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad Street
- When: Saturday, January 20th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
