Shisha Leafa Lounge recently hosted 303 Day’s presented by Tafoya for Mayor, featuring Fr8heavy’s longest-running free-style cipher competition in the city of Denver. The event was amazing! It featured two stages of music, vendor pop-ups, food, fun and dancing.
When I arrived I was immediately sucked into the Fr8heavy exhibition of underground hip-hop beats and freestyle. The event kicked off early around 7:00 PM at the Shisha Leafa Lounge located at 2222 Broadway.
When I arrived, Small Boy with DJ Coz was running the mic and the 1s and 2s. I was immediately impressed by Small Boy’s off-the-top poetry as he incorporated things he noticed in the crowd into his performance. For example, Small Boy was able to stop in the middle of his rhymes, ask a member of the crowd a question, and immediately make an eight-bar flow out of the answer.
Another performance at the underground hip-hop stage by Just Emcee was very impressive. The ciphers stopped for his performance as he showcased his newest tunes. He made sure to shout out his boy Gloomy Sxnday for the beats on the second song he showcased. His music comes recommended for anyone into hip-hop!
The silent disco was equally impressive. To reach the silent disco, partygoers passed the food and perhaps the most impressive vendor to reach a tented out-door stage with three different DJs offering up various blends of electronic music.
For those who have never experienced a silent disco, it is where ravers are offered their own set of headphones which they can choose between various performances all going on at once. That doesn’t mean these patrons were shy, because those who chose to dance the silent disco were throwing down the moves!
This particular silent disco went down on an Igloo-themed stage. It was an appropriate choice for the chill-out area, as it was a bit chilly that night. The disco had three simultaneous performances to choose from for those feeling eclectic. Shout out Bcarrick MGMT Team, My Homies Spin Records, and 2nd Line for providing the tunes! I noticed those on the outdoor tip switching the channels on their headphones often because each of these selectors brought their own unique blend of vibes to play with.
The fun of an event like this with so much to offer is bouncing around from thing to thing. Talking to the vendors about their art can be just as entertaining as listening to music.
Megan Devich, a vendor who spoke to me, runs a site for her wares you can check out here. Pop-up vendors like her rely on word of mouth to hustle the art they sell for themselves and their homies so be sure to check her stuff out! For anyone who likes to stay regal, the various art she has on offer would make a great decoration piece to remember this year’s momentous 303 Day’s celebration.
