We are sitting outside at Crow's Feet Commons, and I'm talking with Tyler Martin and Lion Lovechild, two members from NRG Tribe, an up-and-coming hip-hop trio from Redmond. They are telling me about auras, and about how the third member of their group was drawn to them because of one of their indigo auras.
No, it is not what I expected from a hip-hop band from Redmond.
"We're hippie skater kids," explains Lovechild.
Both are wearing their baseball caps backward, and they lean back into their seats in the bright sun. They are relaxed and easy-going.
"We're the counter-culture of hip-hop," explains Lovechild. "Its not all about the clubs, or the girls." His voice is soft and relaxed while we are talking, but on NRG Tribe's recorded songs and at shows, Lovechild has direct, fast vocals brimming with energy.
The two cite Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin as favorite, early influences and talk more like they are espousing Rastafarian philosophy than street-smart badassness.
"Faith, love, hope," says Martin.
"Happiness," adds Lovechild, noting what they have found to be the consistencies in various religions, and around which they have gathered what they describe as their spirituality.
Nope, not at all what I expected from a hip-hop band from Redmond.
On Monday, NRG Tribe will perform for their third stage show. Martin and Lovechild have been friends for years, bonding at the Redmond skatepark. Several months ago, they performed on a small—like really tiny—stage in Prineville and then, a month ago, performed at Lava Raps, Volume 1 at the Domino Room, a new local showcase for hip-hop artists. They were one of two audience favorites and, as such, won a spot as the openers for Rittz this Monday; their third show.
8 pm, Monday, May 4
Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave.
$25
