mic.ill

A tight-knit rap scene


The next night, Thornquest and his crew show up at Space Bar, a dimly lit underground hideout filled with vintage video game machines, to cheer on another Twin Falls act: rap duo Illest*Lyricists, who are playing their third Treefort.


The group has been together since 2011. They don’t really get nervous before shows anymore, says member Joey Bravo, who goes by the stage name L.S.D. He, turntablist, Chucky Norris, and rapper Michael Summers — known professionally as Mic ill — hold court at the bar with their wives, laughing and greeting friends who have come to watch the performance.


Most of those friends are from Boise; some, like hip-hop radio DJ JasonD, are rap artists themselves. Setting up is a collaborative activity: a few friends help the group lug their equipment up to the stage, evidence of the tight-knit and supportive hip-hop community in southern Idaho.


“It’s a beautiful thing,” Bravo says. “Hip-hop is one of those things that, when it’s the real true-to-the-roots hip-hop, there’s no barriers, there’s no colors. It’s just a union of people that love a certain sound of music. That just sort of unifies everybody.”





The group estimates that they play about 30 to 40 shows a year. Most of their shows are in Boise or other Idaho cities, but they occasionally travel to other states like Montana and Utah.


“It speaks a lot to the people that are willing to come out on a regular basis and support,” Summers says.


It’s a high energy concert, as the pair jumps around the stage, encouraging the crowd to do the same. The packed bar dances along to the music, cheering after particularly impressive verses. Original songs, such as “Universal Mind Control,” are interspersed with raps about contemporary issues over the beats of Top 40 songs.


The group’s previous Treefort shows were held at larger, less intimate venues, such as the Knitting Factory concert hall. Summers and Bravo say they prefer performing in a smaller space like Space Bar.


“Unless it’s a sold-out show at the Knitting Factory, it feels a little lackluster,” Summers says. “When you go to something like this and everybody’s really close and screaming, to me there’s no comparison.”


In the front row of the audience are Bravo and Summers’ wives, who dance and sing along with the music and offer up some helpful feedback about the sound levels throughout the show.


“They’re very supportive, and they’re also very careful about not letting our heads swell up any more than they already are,” Bravo laughs.


“They also know, if it wasn’t as good of a turnout or there wasn’t enough energy going on, to say, ‘Oh, it was good,’” Summers adds.


Bravo has also brought his five children to Boise for the weekend. The family is looking forward to exploring the rest of the festival together.


“We all love music, whether we like to write it, or one of my girls sings,” Bravo says. “It’s our fun thing to do together.” - GRETEL KAUFFMAN - MagicValley.com

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TWIN FALLS — Joey Bravo can’t bear the thought of someone being unhappy during the holiday season.


He does his part to help with his annual Hip Hop Holiday event.


“It’s the community that does this,” Bravo said. “At the end of the day, that community is why I’m still here.”





The eighth annual Hip Hop Holiday will start at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Turf Club, 734 Falls Avenue, in Twin Falls. The doors open at 8 p.m. The event features hip-hop artists and DJs from the Magic Valley, Boise and Utah. The show is age 15 and up. The price of admission is three non-perishable food items, a new unwrapped toy, $5 donation or twin-sized bedding. All proceeds go to Sleep In Heavenly Peace.


Bravo and Michael Summers started the event as a way to give back to the community that supported their music careers. The event has grown in the number of musicians, audience and especially the number of donations. Last year four shopping carts filled with toys were collected, Bravo said.


“It’s to the point where I get goosebumps when I see everything donated,” Bravo said. “It’s a beautiful feeling.”





Proceeds go to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization that builds and delivers beds to children in need. Founder Luke Mickelson was named among the 2018 Top 10 CNN Heroes.


The line-up is L.S.D. aka Joey Bravo, Burnell Washburn, Eleven & DJ Jason D, Dedicated Servers, mic. ill, Freedom Renegades, A.G. -AnyGenre-, Freedom Renegades and special guest AC Delgado.


Boise hip-hop duo Freedom Renegades, consisting of brothers Holistic Meditation and Emcee Monkey D., said that each year Bravo invites new performers to try and keep the show fresh.


“We’re from Jerome and we always want to support the Magic Valley area,” Emcee Monkey D. said. - Bowen West - magicvalley.com