On Jan. 21, the University of Manitoba Students’ Union, will be hosting the second annual Frost Fest, a winter orientation event meant to showcase a variety of local talents to the university’s campus community. This year’s Frost Fest will use UMSU businesses IQ’s and the Hub Social Club and will feature live performances from local artists and bands.

The lineup will include local DJs and musicians like the Barefoot Brotherhood (featuring Myles Dancho and George Semchuk), DJ KeesSH, Myazwe, and Those Liabilities. Events will commence at 9 p.m. at the Hub and 10 p.m. at IQ’s.

Muzo, a local hip-hop artist, is excited to be performing at the Frosh Fest. He believes that, for local hip hop artists, opportunities to perform at events like this are few and far between and when they do come up, it is important to make a lasting impression on the audience. Frost Fest is an opportunity for local artists to share what they have been working on, and Muzo takes this opportunity seriously.

“There is no denying that there is a lot of talent in Winnipeg. And this statement is not only limited to hip hop but other genres too. We are a very small city so we constantly have to prove ourselves that we deserve to have the share of the market,” said Muzo.

“Hip hop is a very competitive sport – you have to be ready to compete.”

He encourages other local artists to step up their game to put Winnipeg on a more competitive market and put hip-hop artists in our city on the map.

“Compared to other bigger cities we are pretty much in the struggle. There is not a lot of exposure or avenues to showcase your music,” said Muzo.

Although the January event is a scaled back version of UMSU’s Frosh Fest, which occurs every September, Frost Fest presents an opportunity for students and staff to come out and be entertained by local artists and music. Through this initiative, UMSU hopes to liven up the campus community and encourage support for local artists.

Tickets for the upcoming Frosh Fest are available for sale at the Answers booth on the first floor of University Centre.