Hardway to go
Maria Romero
It’s easy for Colorado to get caught in the hype and circumstance stirred up by groups like Flobots and 3OH!3—but there’s a strain of truer, more down-to-earth hip-hop in Denver that shouldn’t get overshadowed. A.V.I.U.S., Es-Nine, and DJ Cysko Rokwel, collectively known as 3 The Hardway, are set to release their debut full-length, Set In Stone, at the Marquis Theater Saturday, and while the trio isn’t a household name, it’s funky, laidback, yet strenuously positive music has attracted the attention of Dilated Peoples’ Rakaa Iriscience; not only did the L.A.-based MC guest on Stone, he’ll be on hand to help get the party going at the Marquis. As warm-up, here’s a stream of a song off the new disc, “Reach For The Stars”—and yes, it’s a title that 3 The Hardway takes at full face value.
