Hopscotch Halifax is quickly becoming one of the city's best annual music festivals. From live street art demos to the country's champion battle rappers to American DJs and local dancers, this year's Hopscotch pulls out the big guns with Orlando's DJ Dallask and festival headliners Indiana's Freddie Gibbs and Long Island MC Rakim.
This year, Hopscotch has invited female artists to open for Gibbs and Rakim on Saturday night at Spatz Theatre. Ladies Night will feature the likes of rapper Real Eyez, 11-year-old Jody Upshaw and singer/songwriter Laura Roy, a frequent hip-hop collaborator.
"I've always been a big supporter of female artists, especially local female artists," says Roy, who recently moved back to Halifax after working on her upcoming six-song EP in Toronto and New York City. "Hopscotch and hip-hop music in general is male-dominated and I want to make sure the female perspective and talent is acknowledged."
For her Hopscotch performance, Roy plans to bring out more of her R&B and hip-hop side.
"I consider myself a pop/R&B artist but I'm very influenced by soul, R&B and hip-hop," she says. "I'm planning to perform a couple brand new tracks." Her new songs deal with love and loss and dream-chasing. "But some have more of an attitude and are fun, sexy and quirky," she says "I'm looking forward to bringing high energy and R&B flavour to the stage and represent the ladies of Nova Scotia to the fullest." This is going to be one very legendary Hopscotch. Better jump, jump!
Hopscotch Halifax
September 25-27
Various locations, halifax.ca/hopscotch