Trey Libra

The scorch and intimidation of performing on a Saturday, arguably the busiest day of the festival, manifested in different ways with some trying too hard, letting the intimidation of opening the day getting the better of them.

Trey Libra (formerly known as Jacob Izrael) was not one of these victims, performing with amazing ease and stage presence, despite the added pressure of opening the Ford Stage as a solo act, simultaneously acting as his own DJ, queuing the backing tracks that he seamlessly rapped over.

The respect and reverence level for Libra grows even higher as you listen to the painful honesty in his words, taking rap back to it’s purest roots as musical poetry. Far from the conglomerate laden verses of Top 20 rap now, Libra reminded listeners of the genre’s original purpose, which was to act as a voice to people who might not otherwise have one, or who no one would listen to.

Reflected in “Police State”, an interesting and deep beat played over a single violin drone slowed to sound like a ominous siren, the track could be deemed a bold choice given the police force roaming the grounds throughout the week.

The track however, was done both respectfully and truthfully, with Libra saying “The school ain’t nothing with the tuition, the brain ain’t nothing without intuition, the gun ain’t nothing without ammunition; so listen”.

There wasn’t a person in the crowd who wasn’t listening, captivated by his bare tracks (even the usually stoic and stone security guards, bouncing happily to the beat underneath the shadeless sun) which was highlighted especially in his closing track; not leaving in a bass heavy departure as others may but instead with track,

“Suicide Letter”, coming directly from Libra’s personal life.

And as he exited the stage, he left with the respect of everyone in the audience, honesty and a new point of view in the hearts of everyone who was present.

Sunfest showed the power of their lineup picks, in showing a diverse rainbow of shades and colors of a genre. Trey Libra’s audible graffiti to G-Eazy and his crew’s impeccably perfect beats, demonstrated later in the night.

And in yet another bright color of the genre that is lost in the hubbub of it, is another stone of inspiration for the sounds today. The playful, occasionally raunchy side that you could not only dance to, but smile along with, agreeing with the lyrics in a sly grin - Jenelle Deguzman

Saint Petersburg’s Trey Libra fka Jacob Izrael really surprised me. Before reading his bio, I turned on “Dreams,” and stopped shuffling through my room to sit down and give him the attention he demands.

Izrael said he began writing music as an outlet to avoid the negative energy and activities that many of us are forced to navigate.

“I was raised by my grandmother who was really strict,” Izrael shares in his press release. “I was too afraid of indulging in the street life because of the consequences. So listening to music and pretending to be a rapper kept me busy.”

Izrael has nine releases on Bandcamp and seems to have no signs of slowing down.

Catch this inspiring and rising artist on Saturday, April 30, on the Ford Stage. - Cassie Morien

Trey Libra will take the Ford stage April 30th, 2016 at 1:30 pm in West Palm Beach, FL for SunFest 2016. He will be opening for acts such as Salt-N-Pepa, The Roots and many more. Be sure to visit www.sunfest.com for more information.
Read more at http://www.remixedblasted.com/2016/03/trey-libratreylibramusic-fka-jacob.html#V4CYbKOjg0zxZ3tO.99 - remixedblasted.com

Check out Trey Libra (fka Jacob Izrael) as he drops his “I bring flowers and balloons” album. What is so great about this project is how Trey tackles so many dark issues and yet still inspires listeners. Make sure you check out the video/track above for “Police State“, “Grind No Moe” and “Suicide Letter“. These are my favorite tracks off the project. Let us know what you think - deadendhiphop.com

Police State talks about the struggle that people of color are confronted with daily when dealing with the system that was built to destroy them - nldsolutions.com

St. Petersburg hip-hop artist plays 1:30 p.m. on the Ford Stage. Check out his music. - southflorida.com