Island Trybe rocks crowd in ‘Coming Home Tour’

The Pacific Islands Club Pool Bar was teeming with mostly young aficionados of contemporary island music, making it the place to be on Saipan last Saturday for the United Nesia Fest Coming Home Tour.

Saturday’s event was top-billed by Island Trybe, the Washington-based group that started in 1996 and comprised of B.O.I., Y.D., and Jay Sway and known for their tunes of combined hip-hop, reggae, and R&B sounds.

Homegrown talents that included Fatal Hitz, RoccJuan, Latte Vibes, and 6se7nh0 served as the front acts for the show that saw Island Trybe embracing their island lineage with pride.

Spectators enjoyed the show, described by many as a “good event with good music.”

San Antonio resident Javiun Sablan said he looked forward to the performances not just of Island Trybe but also the group Latte Vibes, the members of which are his friends.

“The event lets the people loose. It’s good. I hope there are more bands to come here, please,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Sheyvonne Aldan said she and her friends went to the event to have fun. “I’m enjoying the music and I love the crowd. I wish there would be more events like this.”

In an interview before their much-awaited performance, Island Trybe said they “appreciate the love” that the audience showed for them at their Coming Home Tour.

The trio said the concert is a “great tribute” for two of their members who passed away last year: Les’sonz, who died due to health reasons; and half-Chamorro Kuzzin Pizzo, who was involved in a fatal car accident.

“It feels good. Everybody in the CNMI is a 100 percent supportive of us. It’s good to be back home,” said B.O.I.

Brothers B.O.I. (real name Matthew Quitugua) and Y.D. (real name David Quitugua), who grew up in Tacoma, Washington, trace their island roots to Rota, Guam, and Palau. Jay Sway, on the other hand, is Filipino-Irish American.

B.O.I. said that most people have the impression that islanders raised in the mainland don’t know about their roots.

“We do,” he said. “We may not sound like we lived on the islands but we’ll always have love for the island, the music.”

Y.D. added, “We’re proud to be Chamorro all day, every day… The islands have loved us so we got to always support the islands.”

The trio, who listen to all kinds of music, revealed that their musical influences come from renowned artists such as Tupac Shakur, Bob Marley, and the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

Island Trybe said they want to be known as the “feel-good people” with “real good, positive island, hip-hop, reggae, R&B” sounds.

The group has traveled to Oregon, Washington, California, and different parts of the U.S. to perform, with their biggest performance to date was at the annual Seattle Hempfest in front of a 200,000-audience. “We had the honor of performing there four years in a row,” said B.O.I.

Island Trybe disclosed that they are currently working on their up-coming-album, Back for Seconds. They said all their album titles are inspired by the “Chamorro barbecue” tradition. The first one was named Marination while the second was entitled Fresh Off the Grill.

The trio invited the public to purchase their music through their CD albums or iTunes. Their latest hit single and their most favorite, Skankin’, has been making waves in local radio stations.

Island Trybe advised all up and coming music groups from the CNMI to “keep it pushin’.”

“You got to keep grinding,” said Jay Sway. For Y.D., “Keep making good positive island music.”

B.O.I. also recommended hip-hop groups to get themselves good DJs, just like how DJ Boboy and DJ Spin-a-track are to Island Trybe. “Without a DJ, it’s a lot hard.”

With the warm reception they received, Island Trybe said they are “definitely” coming back to the island “real soon.”

The group left yesterday for Guam to perform at the Umatac fiesta.