So... what did y'all think? Who was there? What did you like? Didn't like?
Let's hear it.

We're definitely doing this again next summer.

Couldn't ask for more with the weather. The venue was an ideal size, space and vibe. Of all the dumb shit that I half expected to happen, I don't think any of it really did - props to everyone in attendance for keeping things civil and positive. Seemed like the show drew in a lot of people from all over and gave them a good taste of hip hop culture. The only thing i would have liked to see that didn't happen would have been some time allotted for some turntable cuts. It would have been dope to hear some scratching and even some classic music between live performances.

Overall, I was blown away at the success and vibe of the show. Big ups to the organizers, performers, and supporters. Next year will only get better.

Louie Debrusk:Probably the best thing that's happened to Edmonton hiphop. Great show, everyone repped. I like how their was so much variety and everyone did short sets. Kept things moving, didn't drag on. I was real impressed with some of the acts and the crowd was good to see.

I'm really looking forward to that DVD and major respect to all the hard work everyone organizing an event of this scale had to put in. It's very dope to see and I hope we start having more local shows with mixtures of acts. This city is very spread out and I think events of this type go a long way to unifying the different cliques.

I really liked Touch/Epic's/Advo/Kaz's juggernaught track.

Lot's of highlights, I missed the guy doing the backflip while he was rapping.

All and all it kicked ass 10/10 and if you missed it, you really missed out.

couldn't say it bettre myself....

bst day i've had in a long ass time...

this was the best rap show i've been to in 5 years. highlights for me included everything pretty much.

I dunno the names and the memory's a bit hazy but a couple tracks were off the promo and I think he did the opening track off representatives. I can't really remember even though I was standing there the whole time.

Lex/Whatevski definetly hold it down on the partying tip and their new video is going to be incredible.

Balzac:
oh yeah, no cops at all. i couldn't believe it.

Some bike cops rolled up and arrested some dudes on the stairway, haha.

Crazy dope day. Can't believe it was so well executed. Props all around!

Like other events in the city ie. Hip Hop 4 Hunger - I have no doubt this will become a widely supported event in the Edmonton community, as well a part of growing history in the city's hip hop history. Respect to every single person involved from the organizers to performers to attendants. There was a tremendously positive vibe in the air and it was really great to see more than just the usual suspects out.

Phreshly Squeezed absolutely tore shit DOWN. That skinny dude in the red hat...Air Trak? Was KILLING it. I've never seen a breaker bend like that in stalls and freezes. Maddness.

Glad I got a copy of LBA's disc. Good trade, imo.

For me, seeing how far the people I grew up either watching, listening to, and/or working with have come was the highlight of the show. Everyone from Poli Live, to LBA (I didn't see Chaz, was he there?), Touch & Nato, Epic, Advo, Won18, Mother Peace...so dope.

Oh, that and choking on my gum in the middle of my verse. LOL!

Good show. Can't wait for next year - I'll make sure I don't have to work so I can see the whole day next time around!

Nutso...post them flicks, homie!

Just wanna say that it was awesome to meet so many people that ive only really seen an ugsmag nickname from or internet video/audio for like 5 years. It was like dumping water of truth in a barrel i've been filling up with assumption rocks for so long. Once a bunch of gaps were filled everything seemed so much cooler. I can safely say I love alberta rap even more now.

The event was sick - so incredibly well organized & tightly run. Huge huge huge props to the team who constructed it & massive respect to the abundance of awesome volunteers.

Saw a lot of sick performances, and seeing LBA rock for the first time was one of my favorite moments. Also, best Epic set Ive ever seen - but i think he just finally made perfect sense to me. Huge respect.

oh man i could go on and on. but you're all a bunch of drunk fuckers anyway.

love mantrakid

Event was amazing! I give nothing but love to everyone who had a hand in helping out with such an event. Very well organized, things ran perfect. Great to finally introduce myself to a lot of people, most people had respect for me as a young preformer and gave me the time of day to introduce myself and whatnot. Great fun shotgunnin with Lex & What's for their video. I was so stoked when the old asian bottle picker shotgunned one! Great preformances all around, Freshly Squeezed tore down the house. Great to get my hands on the LBA album and The Blurbs album. Cant wait for next year!

J. Soul:
That skinny dude in the red hat...Air Trak? Was KILLING it. I've never seen a breaker bend like that in stalls and freezes. Maddness.

Nutso...post them flicks, homie!

ron aka dyzine and I'm gonna thru the pix tonight. I needed a break from all the pix I took. I was exhuasted, powwow at the butterdome to this.

A great day indeed. Lots of great acts, and the 15 minute thing kept things very fresh. I got to admit, I thought there was NO WAY this thing was even gonna be close to staying on schedule, but alas it was.
Great to see so many live performances. Ugsmag and myspace just can’t convey who is talented as well as a live show can, so now I have a bunch more Canadian Mcs to follow, which was probably the point of the day.
King D-No problem with regards to that Braydon dude. He did talk a lot, but it’s all good.
Props to the one dude from Locution Evolution (his name escapes me) for the Salt & Pepa History lesson.
The highlight of the day for me was smoking a joint, and then coming out front to witness Screwface with a uptempo and aggressive set, then, out of nowhere, it’s time for Epic, who rolls out ‘I guess we’ll start with track one’. I am nowhere near an Oilers fan, but I gotta admit, he had me feelin Alis Hemsky for a minute there.
Quote of the day, Add-Vice, “I am the Wayne Gretzky of partying, I don’t go where the party is, I go where the party is gonna be.”
Too many good acts to name, and props for everybody for keeping it on the positive.

Along those same lines, thanks Mossberg. ;)

Kingy:-I thought Shawn Bernard had some cool beats, wasn't feeling the lyrics a whole lot, but still good.

I guess the actual content of the lyrics was sometimes spread pretty thin (albeit heartfelt), but you can't really front on the dude's flow at all.

I really wish his son had had a mic though... I zoomed in on him when I was filming part of the set, and it was clear that he knew EVERY WORD and was rapping along the whole time. He would be the world's greatest hype man.

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One thing I think was overlooked this year and could be improved in the future (even though I, sadly, won't be here anymore) is there should have been a merch table. At first I thought it would be dope if volunteers manned it, but upon reflection that wouldn't be fair to anyone - too much money to organize, people coming and going... the only way that could work would be if someone collected all of the CDs from the artists ahead of time and paid them out the next day, because people dropping in and trying to make calculations on the fly would ruin everything if it was like a regular merch table at a show.

The simplest way to do it though would have been just to have a volunteer with a float holding down a table where you could take your merch and slang it yourself... somewhere not too far from the stage, so you wouldn't wind up missing anything necessarily, but just an area to congregate to do business, and someone to make change. Or hell even just one place to meet up and TRADE CDs without having to keep track of where everyone is at all times, you know?

I understand that the show was run not-for-profit... but there is an element of commerce to indie hip-hop, right? So there's not necessarily any need to deny that completely.

nutly.net:at the powwow ppl just walked around the crowds holding up merch/cd's to sell.

in the span of 5 min, dude sold 10 cd's and 6 beaded keychains.

Every time I try doing that at a show... I wind up feeling like a dick. Maybe I just lack confidence.

Or maybe I lack beaded keychains.

or a tan

jesse dangerously
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One thing I think was overlooked this year and could be improved in the future (even though I, sadly, won't be here anymore) is there should have been a merch table. At first I thought it would be dope if volunteers manned it, but upon reflection that wouldn't be fair to anyone - too much money to organize, people coming and going... the only way that could work would be if someone collected all of the CDs from the artists ahead of time and paid them out the next day, because people dropping in and trying to make calculations on the fly would ruin everything if it was like a regular merch table at a show.

We tried to have a merch table from the git'go, but were denied because we don't have a license from the city and we're on public property, and we didn't have time to register as an official Non-profit org. either. That's why everything was by donation (hot dogs, drinks, games). Next year we hope to have our org. in order, keep the goodies by donation, but definitely get a merch table out there. Definitely.

omar> Yeah I definitely shouldn't have said the merch angle was "overlooked", having heard a bit more about it from Estefania since then. Damn shame it got interfered with, but sounds like you're on the way to making it happen correctly for next year! Everything else went off well, eh? I hope no-one went completely broke...

I love how khari is repping water and break dancing.

YAY MORE PIX.

fuck you, pay me and have a nice day

Shitty Bill:hey, where was Jesse Dangerously during the beer shotgunning? Maybe you wouldn't have been down, but that would have been a dope cameo.

yeah I could have shotgunned a bottle of water or something! I was just standing by the stage all day, too enraptured by rap to venture too far (and yet somehow I managed to miss some of my homies... it's like magic! irritating magic.)

Komrade and Nutly, your pics are dope. Obviously Brad has the pro factor (more calculated angles, colour correction, probably a really great camera) but all of those are nice to see.

When I move away, HHITP is going to remain one of my favourite Edmonton memories for sure.

Yo nutly, do you have paypal?
Doogie - go here: http://www.nutly.net/images/hiphopinthepark08

Yeah my pics suck. Half of em were done by my sister and half by me, just point click and shoot. Nothing but love for Nutley and his ballin ass GQ shot of the Brothers Grim and Billy Blackout. That shit will sell magazines im sure of it.