Local Emcee Helps Breathe Life Into Hip Hop

One of the biggest challenges that rapper Matt Queen sees with Idaho’s hip-hop talent: Because they’re from Idaho they don’t think they can make it.

Queen, performing as OlyGhost, wants to change that by creating a local scene for the musical genre.

Tonight a dozen Idaho artists will perform at the Friday Night MICS Idaho Tour No. 2 in Twin Falls. For performers from around the state, this is the halfway point of the tour’s second leg.

The tour began in February and will stretch until August, ending in Ontario, Ore.

“The buzz has been really big,” said Joe Garcia, a Magic Valley hip-hop artist. “We’ve also been hit up for shows in California and Nevada.”

Garcia, aka Joey Bravo, is a hip-hop artist for LSD (Lyrical Sound Demons), emcees for Illest*Lyricists and DJ’s for KTPZ. Queen, the tour’s mastermind, approached Bravo to help promote and organize the event.

“We wanted to help everyone, all artists, gather together and bring awareness to the area about hip-hop and that it is here,” Garcia said.

Queen and Garcia both said the drive behind the tours has been to spotlight the genre and help local talent make a name not only for themselves but also for the area.

Tonight’s performance will be the tour’s only all-ages event.

“We’re having the show a week before school gets out, so it will be kind of an end-of-the-year bash,” Queen said. “We have a big following from the younger crowd, but a problem we face is that we can’t always find a venue for all ages.”

While none of the shows are vulgar in general, Garcia said, lyrics will be toned down for the younger spectators.

“We get people asking all the time when we are going to do an all-ages show,” he said. “This will be really great for them.”

The Twin Falls venue, 360 Main Event Center, also offers a bigger space and opportunities to play with lighting which will create a more visually appealing show.

“We have some cool stuff in store,” Garcia said. “The stage presence is going to be great.”

Queen hopes this show will steer younger listeners away from negative influences and give them something to do, motivating them to get off the streets and be the artist they see on stage.

Last year eight artists performed, and the tour not…

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