Review of Bluesfest Day Ten: A hip-hop send off

Ottawa’s 30th annual Bluesfest concluded with hip-hop and rap favourites Nas and Down With Webster closing out the festival in style.

An unexpected power outage almost foiled the festival’s final day, but Bluesfest staff quickly installed power generators to ensure the show went on. 

However, earlier scheduled performances from JW-Jones and Le Winston Band were scrapped because of the power outage.

Ottawa’s own hip-hop collective Training Season kicked off the night with a bang, warming up the crowd for a great night. 

One of the artists from the collective, Queen, serenaded the crowd with her velvety vocals, playing melodic track “Gone” and the romantic ballad “Lallaby’s.” 

After, GP Smith, another artist from the collective, followed up with self-proclaimed toxic hype anthem “Sorry,” igniting the crowd in the process. 

Training Season showed their appreciation to attendees by giving away free hoodies, with Smith even coming down from the stage to greet supporters. 

On the River Stage, Geneviève Racette captivated onlookers with her beautiful melodies and emotional resonance. She enchanted the crowd with her French song “Sans Toi.”

During a lull between songs, Racette opened up to the crowd about her sobriety, sharing she has been sober for approximately seven and a half years. 

“I could write a million songs about it the way some people write a million songs about drinking,” Racette said. “It’s definitely inspired me through my musical journey every day.”

The folk-pop singer proceeded to play an unreleased track titled “Times Two,” a song dedicated to people who are battling addiction, depression or anxiety.

Back at the RBC Stage, Canadian rap-rock band Down With Webster hit the stage, getting the crowd to bop their heads to tracks “Your Man,” “Rich Girl$” and “Grind.” 

After nearly a 10-year hiatus, the group is officially back on tour this summer to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Time To Win Vol. I, making a brief stop in Ottawa. 

Band member Pat Gillett said opening for Nas was a surreal moment for him as the headliner is one of his all-time favourite rappers. 

To cool off attendees, Bluesfest staff handed out water bottles to visitors and sprayed refreshing water into the crowd during the band’s set. 

As the sun set and the heat dissipated, attendees gathered at the RBC Stage to see hip-hop legend Nas. 

The artist opened his set with hard-hitting tracks “Get Down,” “Street Dreams” and his most popular song, the dark and grimy “N.Y. State of Mind.” 

From there on, the New York-native treated the crowd with a series of his greatest hits, as the crowd nodded their heads to classics “Represent,” “Halftime” and “The World Is Yours” — all from the great hip-hop album Illmatic. 

Nas also played a plethora of deep-cut tracks, satisfying any hardcore hip-hop-heads in the crowd with inspirational track “I Can” and eventually closing out his set with “One Mic.”

In spite of the afternoon’s threatening power outage, music lovers left LeBreton Flats satisfied with a final night well-spent head banging to tunes. 

The inclusion of hip-hop artists broadened Bluesfest’s lineup of music styles, ending the festival on a high note.

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Featured image by Darren Tran.