Saturday January 21 saw some of RnB’s hottest acts descend upon Canberra for Heatwave @ EPIC, and for the ultimate feast of RnB and Hip Hop, the menu was spot on!

Acts included D12, Obie Trice, Crazy Town, D’Opus and Roshambo, Koolism, Tech N9ne and Canberra’s own DJ Rush.

To get the audience warmed up, talented Aussie DJ’s graced the stage; DJ Skae, Eitha Deon, Collossus, KP Records Big Dave, Grant Who? N2W Kitty B, Dlinkwnt and Bishop, and DJ Rush.

Despite the small crowd, the acts all put on an amazing performance, with the energy levels absolutely sky-rocketing. It was clear that the crowd was there for a good time and they were all true RnB and hip hop lovers. It was an interesting mix, with the younger audience ready to dance up a storm and some older people who appreciated the talented art of rapping.

All of the bands performing on the one stage meant that there was no hassle in trying to find out who was playing when, at what time. It was all there in front of you.

The stage was up the front, but there was plenty of action towards the back of the venue, where there was a jumping castle, sumo suits and an awesome stretch of white canvas on which graffiti was being sprayed. You could try your hand at ‘tagging’ or simply sit back and watch the gifted graffiti artists do their thing.

The crowd welcomed the big acts with amazing energy. Obie Trice was welcomed onto the stage with a loud cheer. Performing Got Some Teeth, the crowd was singing along and true RNB fans were going crazy. Chammilionaire was supposed to come on next, but they had pulled out unexpectedly at the last minute.

Crazy Town was next on stage and made some serious noise. They rocked out to hits Butterfly, Starry Eyed Surprise and Toxic. As soon as the first notes of Starry Eyed Surprise started to be strummed, all festival goers flocked to the stage with their hands in the air.

D12 were up next and Fight Music was the best song they performed. It had a lot of energy and the crowd was going wild.

Making a grand entrance and hyping up the crowd, Tech N9ne and Chris Calico ran out onto the stage opening with Strange Music Box for the final set. The audience was screaming and the small mosh pit was getting excited. Performing hits such as Pyscho B*tch, Riot Maker and Technicians, the duo left the audience blown away.

Photography by Chris Whitfield