“Making hip hop in Montana is very freeing. It’s quiet, vast isolation is poetic in nature and fulfilling to the soul. It’s comfort in silence and brings time to reflect properly. The freedom of boredom is what sparks our everyday life. After the chores and the shower and the screen time and the breakfast, there lies nothing. Just an endless field of self-expression and discovery. In that field lies the perfect version of ourselves, lying in the grass watching the clouds pass by. I learned over time to sit with this version of me in the rare instances we did meet, and simply write raps with him. To learn how to count measures and how to follow the structure of music and how and when to interact with it. How to set up the perfect way to say something in the most profound sense in 4 bars or less, all while making it rhyme. Schemes to expression and instrumentals to portraits. We painted by numbers with words and in that found reason and purpose. Montana hip hop is not out to prove anything, we don’t have the numbers for that. We’re just finding ourselves through artistic expression and hoping that we can add something substantial to this branch of music we love so much. Be cool, be soft, be complex, be simple, be real.” - C. Boy
There’s something about creating hip hop in this part of the world that I always felt makes you dig a little deeper. There’s all kinds of possible obstacles that could get in your way, but if you really love to do it you will find a way. We started Word In The Rockies because we wanted a place to speak freely, a place to talk about the things that move us and the things that challenge us. It’s a space for discussion, for ideas, and for connection. The point is to keep it honest. When someone posts about a track they love, a new release, or an album that’s stuck with them, it sparks a conversation. And that’s the kind of energy we want to cultivate here.
You’ll find different kinds of pieces here. We want to take time to reflect on the artists and sounds that helped shape us because we care about the music. Not just the product, but the process. We care about what it does for people, what it represents to us, and how it connects us. Some posts will dig into songs or albums we keep coming back to and some will be focused on highlighting local releases and in-house projects. Some will explore bigger questions – about independence, creativity, or the culture that raised us. At its core though, this is about community, the kind that grows from mutual respect and a shared passion.
So this is Word In The Rockies. A mix of stories, perspectives, and ideas from some guys who live and breathe this culture. We’re not trying to speak for everyone, but we are trying to speak honestly. If you’re here, you probably care about music the way we do, as something that builds, connects, and heals.
Welcome in. We’re glad you found us.
photo by: patchwork_media_406
written by: C. Boy and Mellow