On a day that felt like it was taking place in 2005, Supafest rolled into Perth to seize the hearts of the attendees in Joondalup Arena. The line up; sponsored locally by On Point Productions, had a little something for everyone, ranging from legendary rap stars to relatively fresh-faced players in the game.

Arriving around two, I was greeted with one of the most ridiculous looking lines I had ever seen at a festival. For the normal punter, more than an hour’s wait was expected before they were let in the gate. Being an all-ages festival, a bit more of a wait would have been acceptable, but honestly, this was a music festival, not a roller coaster at Dreamworld.

Another fault that stuck out was the discrepancy between the normal and ‘Bling Ring’ VIP tickets. A large banner obstructed the stage view from the normal area if standing facing the stage, forcing the crowd to watch from a less than ideal angle. Furthermore if you were one of the lucky ones inside the VIP area, the bar set aside for those patrons was full by mid-afternoon; making the term ‘VIP Bar’ not very VIP at all. All up, the logistics of the event left much to be desired.

Aside from these deficiencies, the festival was about the music, and that showed through the most. The first set of the day I caught was UK swooner Taio Cruz. Starting off the set with his most well-known anthem Break Your Heart, Taio proceeded to give the (mainly) female crowd track after track to follow along with. Not really my cup of tea, but have to give credit to the guy, he definitely knows how to work an audience.

Next up was one of the newer rap artists in Bow Wow (or Little Bow Wow for you old school readers). As he started off his high energy set, the performer woke the crowd up with quite a bit of jumping around and flashing his abs to the awaiting girls down below. Bring out tracks like Take Ya Home and That’s My Name he showed off his back catalogue of hits as well as showcased his newest tracks. His set showcased his ability to make the leap from young star to adult rapper.

After a little break I returned to the stage to watch in on The Game. One of my favourites from back in my school days, I was expecting something bring back great memories. Unfortunately this was not the case. Game went on a tirade about his beef with fellow rappers as well as dedicating half the set to showcasing gun cocking noises. There were highlights, including tracks Westside Story and How We Do but these moments were far too infrequent, as the crowd seemed to lose interest halfway through. Disappointing to say the least.

Autotune master T-Pain took the stage next; as the sun went down you could tell the artists were moving into the party mood. Wearing a necklace most likely worth more than my house, T-Pain broke into tracks like Low and Buy You a Drank. Surprisingly the rapper did the entire set without his trademark Autotune, giving the crowd a look into the man behind the computer. The entire set flowed really well and was quite enjoyable. I may have been hyped for what was to come next though.

When Busta Rhymes was shown on the line-up, I may have been the happiest person in Australia. A legend in the hip hop scene, Busta was on the short list of acts I could not miss. He didn’t disappoint.

While most artists on the day performed with some sort of backing track to aid their set, Busta performed exclusively using his own talents; spitting rhymes faster than I could think. The entire back catalogue was on display, including favourites such as Break Ya Neck. Lyrically this must have been one the most brilliant performances I had ever seen, and judging by the reaction from the rest of the crowd, they felt the same.

Nelly was up next on stage, much to the delight of the now heaving crowd. Using a live band to provide backing for his vocals, it provided an awesome change to the usual DJ dropping the beats for the show. Nelly tested the crowd with classics such as Country Grammar and Dilemma, treating the true old school fans in attendance. Sidekick in crime Murphy Lee and The Saint Lunatics even came along for the ride, performing a great version of Air Force Ones. Closing the set with his newest single Just A Dream, the crowd said goodbye to one of the best performers of the decade.

Hitting close to 10pm, Snoop Dogg hit the stage; giving the crowd one of the more gangster entries ever seen. Wearing a sequenced jumpsuit and sporting the most blinged-out microphone known to man, Snoop started off with his time slot. Just listening to the Snoop it is easy to forget just how many songs the man has.

Starting off with Gin and Juice the show just hit such a high level and never had a dull moment. California Love and Drop It Like It’s Hot got a workout as well as too many classics to list. Playing way past the allotted time; and through the light rain, the man just gave a show that I’m sure the people left in attendance would remember forever. Closing with his latest hit Wet, remixed by David Guetta, it left the crowd dancing, soaked, and exhausted after the experience they had just witnessed. Truly legendary stuff.

Overall I enjoyed Supafest. Although the venue had more than its share of problems, and the crowd was a little ‘interesting’, it really is the music that makes the day. On that level, it had some parts not quite up to scratch, but the final three acts more than made up for it. Good job guys.