Rappers, musicians take it to the mat at Rhymefest

WASILLA — Organizers of a two-day festival that sought to showcase homegrown rappers and other musicians of “all forms” are sold on the Valley as a source of musical inspiration.

The inaugural AK Rhymefest, tucked away in the woods off the Parks Highway west of Wasilla, featured dozens of artists who cycled through the stage, each with a group of fans that boomed as the night closed in. When the music settled, there was giant a campfire to gather around to swap stories. Camping was encouraged since it was “better to be safe than sorry.”

Spurs Bar and Grill provided a beer garden and the No Strings Attached (NSA) Wrestling outfit even made an appearance, bringing their own ring to entertain the crowd. It was a weekend filled with live music, live sporting entertainment, food and fun — all with the intent to invigorate the Valley’s diverse musical community.

Devon Shaw, better known as D the Lyricist, was the driving force behind AK Rhyme Fest. Shaw said he has been performing hip-hop for 15 years and started recording “straight outta’ high school.” He has opened for big names like Sean Kingston and Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony. He said he’s seen the Valley’s music scene at its “high and lows.” He noted how little exposure there was for local artists, particularly hip-hop in the Valley. “I’m trying to change that,” Shaw said. Shaw saw this festival as an opportunity to give back to his community. He wants the event to become an annual series and to double in size and scope next year, with more vendors and more artists. “If we can all do something positive and build a foundation, that will help everybody,” Shaw said. The festival presented a range of artists from various backgrounds. Many saw it as a rare chance to unveil their skills and further develop their distinctive sound. Sloane Dellafosse, otherwise known as Luna Bruja, is a lyricist who writes to a myriad of beats from numerous sources and raps to them onstage. Dellafosse wants to see more venues for voices and to see hip-hop and experimental material grow in the Valley. As a female rap artist, she recognizes how few others are out there are in Alaska. She also has seen a big push of female rappers coming out and expressing themselves. “So, we’re the last frontier right? We’re seeing a lot of strong voices emerge,” Dellafosse said. Kelly Lee Williams, founder of Chocolate Renaissance Theatre and host of Tuesday Open Mic at Chilkoot Charlie’s in Anchorage, helped arrange the festival. His resume includes time as an emcee, singer, improvisational actor, comedian, director, writer and producer. He marveled at what the Valley had to offer Alaska’s music scene. “There’s a lot of very talented people in the Valley,” Williams said. “We gotta’ keep this energy going.” Williams said events like these are opportunities for artists to learn how to be “professional” and “sell themselves.” He stressed the importance of communities supporting each other. “Spend it here, keep it here,” Williams said. While the festival was a platform for musical expression, it also was an arena for a budding wrestling community to showcase their sport. For more than a year, the NSA wrestlers have performed an average of once a month. Their usual venue is at the Palmer Train Depot. Co-owner Sean Coleman said that their name — No Strings Attached — means they are self-managing and are not tied to any other organizations, so they are free to take their show on the road and demonstrate what they do and rally support for their movement. “We want to show everyone that we actually know what we’re doing,” Coleman said. NSA averages about 100-125 people per show, and according to Coleman, they are picking up momentum. Coleman said NSA faces challenges, like getting their brand recognition out there and fighting the stigma of “rednecks hitting each other with trash cans.” Coleman said they undergo a lot of training and dedicate a lot of time into their sport. Co-owner Mitchell Helps, better known by his stage name Gentleman Jack Windsor, said that the events are family friendly and are meant to entertain everyone. “We’re entertaining; it’s what we get paid to do,” Helps said. “We try to make everything look real. Some of it really hurts. You have to be passionate about it. We live it 24/7. That gets lost on some people.” NSA performances seem to carry homage to traditional lucha libre wrestling. The mysterious Cannon Ball Burt Ringo garbs himself in an iconic luchador costume for each show and he will not reveal his true identity. Ringo said he wants to keep his identity secret from the public. It was a shared opinion amongst the NSA wrestles that when the performers go on stage, they become a new person entirely. AK Rhymefest was Jerry Bishop’s first NSA event. He’s wrestled across the Midwest and has “been around a bit.” Bishop said that NSA wrestling is heavily driven by audience interaction. He said that he would feed off the audience’s energy and drive that home. “It depends how I’m received,” Bishop said. “You [the audience] can be a part of the show. It’s not just something you see; you can interact with it.” With a venue on privately owned property in the woods, the festival was free to unfurl and showcase its talent without sound barriers. “We can be as loud as we want,” Shaw said. The Valley seems to have this advantage over Anchorage venues. It seems that these large properties with wide-open spaces and enclosures of trees allow these types of festivals a unique niche that city dwellers seldom see. “We can’t do this in Anchorage,” Williams said. “These folks were right, there’s freedom in these trees.” “Just come out and say it. Even if it’s uncomfortable,” Dellafosse said. “There’s nothing more valuable than your gift to the world.” Shaw said he has a vision to unite his fellow musicians and sustain a future where Valley residents aren’t complaining about there “not being enough out here,” a future where growing artists have more stages, more connections, and more collaboration. “One thing I know is music; and music has the power to bring everyone together,” Shaw said.