BXTH (fka BOTH)

OMAHA Two Omaha artists who make up the hip-hop duo BOTH are making waves on the music scene around the Midwest.

BOTH now has tens of thousands of views on Facebook for their music. This year they headlined local music venues The Waiting Room and The Slowdown, and performed at Omaha and Midwest music festivals.

Nate Asad, 22, and Skylar Reed, 23, were born and raised in North Omaha, attending North High and Northwest High respectively. Asad group up playing piano in the church and said he learned entirely by ear.

"Piano just kind of happened. I don't know, like, I barely remember me not knowing how to play. I kind of just started playing immediately," said Asad, at Make Believe Recordings' studio in Little Italy.

Asad is the group's producer. He began making beats under the moniker Infinite Loop (spelled INFNTLP) during high school using his keen ear for sound to produce music.

Skylar Reed is the group's rapper and singer. He said his path to music was a bit different. He used music and sports in high school to stay of out trouble and stay focused, he said.

"A lot of people weren't really feeling what I had to say in high school at Northwest [High]," said Reed, whose stage name is Scky Rei.

His popularity as a lyricist and rapper changed while a student at UNO, he said, and he got some buzz at small shows in Omaha. A mutual friend introduced Asad to Reed who immediately began making music together.

"What he produces is what I wish my hands could make and what I say is what he's thinking," said Reed.

They produced their first major track "What's the Word" and the group BOTH was formed.

"It was just something to do even though we took it serious, and we're going to put our heart and soul in it to the point we're at now, we didn't know what it was going to be," said Reed.

BOTH performed in pizza shops, in houses and other small venues to get their music out there. As their popularity grew in the indie/underground Omaha music scene, local label Make Believe Recordings recognized them. They signed to the label and began performing at larger music venues and major music festivals around the Midwest.

The group is quirky on stage and often even self-deprecating. Their latest EP is called "BOTHSucks". Their audiences are a diverse mix of college students and underground enthusiasts. They say their message is for everyone to be themselves.

"Everyone expects you to be this socially but really you should just be what you want to be for yourself and whether it's socially accepted or not doesn't matter," said Reed.

That message of individuality is why their music stands apart from other groups, says Asad.

"I mean we just do us -- we just make what we like to make and I feel like nowadays originality gets you everywhere," he said.

Earlier this year, BOTH went on a mini-tour around the Midwest, performing in Madison, Des Moines, St. Louis and Chicago. They admit with big smiles, they felt a "made it" moment while performing in Chicago.

"Chicago was -- a dream, the best show. Chicago was surprising we actually had fans! That was trippy!" said Reed and Asad in tandem.

Despite the growing fandom, they admit Omaha is still an uphill battle to be widely accepted. While they were invited to perform at Holland Stages Festival, which they consider an honor, they said Omaha police showed up at one of their recent shows at a Midtown art gallery.

"This doesn't sound like art this sounds like rap. And I was like -- oh really," said Reed,.

That aside, they said their future is bright: they're planning another tour for 2016 and are working on an album for next year.

They said their music will remain the same despite the new attention.

"The message is you can always do better. The message is I relate to what you're going through," said Reed.

For more information on the group and access to their music or information on the local label Make Believe Recordings, we posted that information on this story.

Special thanks for the concert footage for our story to:
Miguel Cedillo
Jake Dawson
Randy Edwards
Nickolai Hammar (Hear Nebraska)
Mike Machian
Brandon Taylor
Dan Thompson
Courtesy of Make Believe Recordings - WOWT NBC Omaha

Self-deprecating rappers impress at SXSW.

Omaha artists tend to violate stereotypes by being sincere, humble, and approachable. We don’t coast and we don’t mistake braggadocio for talent. But if local artists should be bragged about, try BOTH. BOTH are Make Believe Studios hip-hop recording artists Scky Rei aka Skylar Marcell Reed, and INFNTLP aka Nate Asad.

In the last two years, the rappers and OEAA Album and Artist of the Year winners have been shaking the clubs, MAHA, and SXSW. The duo from “North of Downtown,” is fond of lyrics like “Here I go…lost my soul a long, long, time ago…music is the only thing, left up in my soul,” featured on their song
Drug Abuse.

Gigs at the Nebraska Exposed showcase and a Front Gate Tickets private party worked out well.

“The experience was surreal. SXSW was a great time, playing in front of a new audience,” says MC/rapper/singer/songwriter/videographer Scky Rei. Scky Rei raps about life in the Big O and “provides a sonic connection to everyone in the same world at the same moment.”

“We’re just expressing social experiences through weird ways of explaining everyday life,” says Scky Rei. “We didn’t play in front of thousands like I thought, but watching people coming from the street to fill the upstairs of Cheers Shot Bar made me feel like we’re doing something right. Just being surrounded by creativity and people that love the same thing you do gave me a breath of fresh air.”

“Everyone was someone, somewhere, and that was cool to be a part of,“ says DJ/backup singer/producer/pianist/Dragon Ball Z enthusiast INFNTLP, who paints SXSW as “the Internet on wheels.”

Working on new music full time is BOTH’S goal for this year if manager John Schmidt hits his mark. Schmidt was a fan who met Scky Rei in a coffee shop last spring and offered to help out.

“We’ve accomplished a lot in the past year,” says Schmidt, who also represents psych rockers JAGAJA. “SXSW was a great experience. Staying relevant is a grind even for superstars, so we will continue to put in the work. As long as these guys are in front of a crowd, they will succeed.”

Don’t just take BOTH’s word for it.

Michelle Troxclair, director of Nebraska Writer’s Collective, says she finds BOTH “a transformational group of musicians.”

“BOTH has been able to reflect all that is part of the cultural art form that is African American oral tradition,” says Troxclair, whose Verbal Gumbo can be said to do the same.

“The great thing about BOTH is that they are the anti-rap group. Nothing is stereotypical about them at all,” says Dominique Morgan, fellow OEA Award winning R&B singer and activist. “Scky Rei shoots all the videos, makes their posters. INFNTLP will go from deep club beats to playing classical piano in a set. It was only right they won Album and Artist of the Year.”

For now, BOTH will be pushing the EP “BOTHSUCKS,” releasing videos, writing and increasing the love.

“Most of our fans came out to past shows bringing new people into our world. It’s awesome,” says INFNTLP.

“I don’t see fans, only extended family,” says Scky Rei. “Money is nice, but at the end, we do this for the love.” - Omaha Magazine

Omaha hip-hop duo Both unleashed a new track over the weekend prior to its headlining show at The Waiting Room Saturday. It’s the first look at new music since last year’s breakout Bothsucks EP.

“#FLASHDRIVE” explores similar territory both in terms of its dynamic production and unflinchingly honest lyricism. It showcases the duo’s chemistry in two-tones, its first half exploding with emcee Scky Rei’s sharp self-examination. INFNTLP’s smooth keyboard and straight ahead beat drop out midway through to match Rei’s dreamier headspace.

The new track seems to build toward a larger crop of new music, indicative of Both’s year of upward trending. It played the opening spot at last year’s Maha Music Festival, was featured by Omaha magazine and toured out of state (most notably to SXSW). It’s upcoming dates include Maximum Ames Fest Sept. 16 and Lincoln Calling Oct. 7.

Listen to “#FLASHDRIVE” below:
https://soundcloud.com/bothsucks/flashdrive

Tour Dates:

Saturday, Aug 13: Wooly’s, Des Moines, Iowa
Saturday, Aug 20: The BAY, Lincoln
Friday, Sept 16: Maximum Ames Festival, Ames, Iowa
Friday, Oct 7: Lincoln Calling Music Festival
Saturday, Oct 15: Vega, Lincoln - Hear Nebraska

At any moment Friday night, a festivalgoer could have walked in to any of the Lincoln Calling venues and had to fight their way into a good vantage. The Bourbon’s main room was crammed when Real Estate went on at 10:30 p.m; ditto for Cloud Nothings in the Duffy’s Tavern back lot at Midnight to jumping, crowd-surfing fans.

Perhaps one of the best moments for hometown fans happened at Bodega’s Alley, where Omaha hip-hop duo Both drew a packed house as close to the stage as possible. Emcee Scky Rei and producer INFNTLP played set-up act for closer Allan Kingdom at a robust hip-hop lineup, and made the most of the moment by taking a ridiculously appropriate (and sort of inappropriate) selfie.

Both’s positive, intense performer-audience interaction was seemingly ubiquitous across the festival’s eight venues, from comedy at Vega to hardcore at The Bay all the way back to downtown. You can see that moment and more below in our photo essay. - Hear Nebraska

Picture sitting in the center of a three-row van, barreling south toward its weekend live music destination. The vast open road before you is daunting, seemingly endless, but your companions are enthusiatic and hilarious, so you endure. In the front seat, Scky Rei leans back and cracks a joke, causing himself the most laughter. Beside you, Nate Asad (aka INFNTLP) shields his pizza from your prying eyes. I-35 mile markers fly by.

Both’s notoriety has continued expand over the last several months following its critically-acclaimed summer release Bothsucks EP. Recently, the duo rose to the challenge of entertaining more than 6,000 fans opening for Flo Rida at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

As on might expext, the quirky, energetic hip-hop duo is as charismatic and charming in close quarters as it is to watch onstage. As Both traveled to its first SXSW, we were there to document the antics — from gas station cap guns to rooftop performances to impromptu freestyles. Follow along below as we go inside cross-country life on the road: https://youtu.be/QlFkDiIfUW4

View Both’s upcoming schedule below:

April 28 – Bodega’s Alley with Father Dude, StéLouse, Marty McMoon, RealEyez
May 3 – Duffy’s Tavern with Hakim (Dad’s $1 Beer Night)
May 14 – Reverb Lounge with WebsterX and Mola-B

CREDITS:
Video: Lindsey Yoneda
Audio: “Airwaves” by Both ft. Rothsteen - Hear Nebraska

Coming off of their spring tour, Omaha’s rising hip-hop duo BOTH will perform tonight at Vega for the Earthstock Musical Festival. The duo will be performing with AZP and the Hottman Sisters. The show is $2 for students and starts at 8 p.m. Nate Asad and Skylar Reed, known by their stage names as INFNTLP and Scky Rei, took some time to talk to The Daily Nebraskan in anticipation of their show.

The Daily Nebraskan: Nate, you’ve done quite a few remixes on your mix tapes, and there are some names that stand out. You did a take on a Kanye track from “808’s,” Crime Mob, some Lil Wayne and MF Doom. How do these guys relate to you in terms of influence?

Nathaniel Asad: All those artists influence me in some way, Kanye being the biggest. All different energy. When I make remixes, I try not to put it in a box, like making a Ye’ type beat for a Ye’ remix, you know? Most of the time I’ll grab an a capella and not even listen to the original [because] I already know I’ll get influenced by it. Personally, as a producer, I believe it’s best to create knowing that you’re bringing a new sound to the table.

DN: Your discography as a producer is really varied. On the “Atlas EP” there were a ton of synths and nature samples, whereas “Ways of Seeing” had a bunch of lo-fi samples and felt very airy. On “BOTH SUCKS”, a lot of the songs have very industrial, dark drums. How do you decide the artistic direction you take for each project?

NA: It’s pretty spontaneous. The idea of “Ways of Seeing” came to mind after the majority of the tracks were done. I just realigned them to fit the theme later on and it worked out. Same for BOTH. I’ll send Sky a beat, and he will make a song based on the title of the beat [or] whatever he’s feeling at the time.

DN: Speaking of “BOTH SUCKS”, “New Wave” had a pretty awesome beat switch which had the “Dust a Sound Boy” sample from “Mercy” by Kanye. Do you plan on using more beat switches for the new album?

NA: Definitely. They’ll melt your face into goo.

DN: How do you feel about sampling?

NA: It’s an art form, honestly. Everyone approaches it differently. Some people see it as lazy, I see it as its own instrument when it’s in the right hands. And without it, I wouldn’t be listening to all the music I listen to now.

DN: Skylar, what has your development as an artist been like through the years? Do you think you will continue to change and add different styles to your arsenal?

Skylar Reed: [My] development as an artist has been great thanks to peers like Rothsteen, Roger Lewis [of] The Good Life and many others telling me about their mistakes and triumphs, giving me wisdom. We’re just staying true to what we love and adding elements of neo-soul, jazz, rock and everything else our wandering ears happen to catch passing by. As far as change in style, I feel as though we found our own sound so far, but change is always welcome when it comes to making something we enjoy listening to ourselves.

DN: What can audiences expect to be different on the new album?

SR: With the album, you can expect a more personable project that tells some stories in my life that, for the most part, I’ve never been comfortable letting the listener in on. My family struggles and relationship issues to gang violence and ‘blah blah blah.’ You know, everyday life struggles of a north side kid. Production from [Nathaniel] has leveled up so just expect to get to [knowing] the real me, not just Scky Rei, but Skylar Reed, the man who struggles just like anyone else [does] after the lights fade and the cameras shut off.

DN: Any cool features/collaborations on the new album that you’re willing to reveal?

SR: No features that we can reveal currently, but we might try to get at least one or two high profile artists that we’ve been meaning to work with on the album. It’s just finding the [right] song for people to be on that makes sense. We want the project to be strictly about how great the songs are, not who we got a verse from. But I’ll reveal a local artist on the rise that we worked with named “K’sean” so definitely check him out.

DN: You guys are really starting to bring in awards and accolades as your name keeps getting bigger. How does that feel after grinding since 2012 together? What has that journey been like?

SR: It feels amazing, there are plenty of ups and downs between scheduling and some minor differences, but we are still brothers. Nate and I still have a drive and passion for this so to get some love and recognition from the city and [for] people you don’t know [to] come to you and show love is cool... We are blessed, but sometimes the journey leaves a bitter aftertaste in some instances. Our manager John has been great and has become a real band member. But it’s about finding balance now as we continue to grow finding the next steps.

arts@dailynebraskan.com - The Daily Nebraskan

In his first meeting as a Hear Nebraska board member, after I told him about our 2014 SXSW lodging arrangements, Stephen Pedersen (of Omaha’s Criteria) came up with a slogan for the organization.

“Hear Nebraska: We crash on floors.”

I recalled this exchange early Friday morning of this year’s Austin, Texas festival as I lay on my thin sleeping bag on the tile floor between the bathroom and TV stand in an entirely adequate Motel 6. HN multimedia intern Adam LaRose and I split a room with Omaha hip-hop group Both (Scky Rei and Nate Asad) and their manager John Schmidt. (It was Adam’s turn to spoon with John.) Our other team members, visuals editor Chris Dinan, multimedia intern Lindsey Yoneda and editorial intern Gabriella Parsons stayed elsewhere with friends.

While I hope HN one day has resources to, you know, provide beds for 100% of travelling staff, I think roughing it like a touring band is a crucial experience for our people. It builds character, camaraderie and perspective. Not to mention, a strong back.

Since 2011, Hear Nebraska has sent a small team of staff/interns/contributors to cover the music festival. It’s a great opportunity to: strengthen team bonds; grow reporting chops and portfolio materials; see and support Nebraska bands on a national stage; spread the word about Hear Nebraska and the state’s music community and industry; meet cool people in and out of the music industry; and, of course, to experience Austin’s unique culture. In my view, all of those points directly support Hear Nebraska’s mission and vision.

I’m very proud of the way HN’s team represented this year. It’s such hard work. We get out to shows right around noon and stay out till as late as 2 a.m., shooting photos, writing, interviewing, passing out stickers and telling everyone we speak to about Nebraska music. We get back to our crash pads and either file work that night, or get up early the next morning to do it. Once the photos are up and the story is ready to go, we head back out and do it all again.

If you’ve been following our coverage, either in stories we dropped Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, or via our Instagram and Twitter feeds through the hashtag #NESXSW, you’ve seen how hard our people hustled. As they barrel their way back to Omaha, literally bruised, tired and editing photos along the way, here’s to them.

This week, you’ll see an exciting video feature they produced while at SXSW. Today, see their photos from Friday and Saturday in Austin, featuring All Dogs, Charlie XCX, Yuck, Car Seat Headrest, Bleached, Both, Laughing Falcon and more... - Hear Nebraska

Nebraska bands are making new fans in Texas.

At the Nebraska Exposed showcase, eight Omaha and Lincoln artists are pulling new fans in from the street at South by Southwest.
That's not an exaggeration. During sets for Omaha hip-hop group Both and Lincoln rock/R&B band AZP, the rooftop of Cheers Shot Bar began to fill up.

Both took the stage to play for mostly familiar faces; A blend of musicians, venue owners, bookers, media and friends filled the small rooftop venue.

But as the hip-hop duo worked through its set, more people began to trickle into the venue. Easily heard from 6th Street, the main hub of SXSW in Austin, the place filled up.

After the show, Scky Rei and INFNTLP were accosted by new fans asking about their music and curious about where they were from.
AZP blends rock, R&B and hip-hop, and their electric and engaging show brought a similar response. A flood of people entered the bar as they worked through their set, growing the audience from about 30 to about 60.

As of right now, the showcase isn't over. Indie rock band Oketo opened the show, and singer-songwriter Bonehart Flanigan delivered a heartfelt performance.

Several more bands have yet to play, but it seems like Nebraska is getting some great exposure. - Omaha World-Herald

There’s a wonderful juxtaposition to the Both in the latest Sonata Session and the Both that won’t take itself seriously (the band’s URL, Instagram and Twitter are all BothSucks; last year they toured with The Seen on the “Great Rock, Weak Raps” tour).

It’s not that it took producer INFNTLP playing beautifully on a grand piano in University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Westbrook Music Hall for us to realize that the Omaha duo is among the best in Nebraska hip-hop. Anyone that’s been paying attention in the last year could tell you about INFNTLP’s boundary-pushing production and Scky Rei’s aggressive-slacker vocal delivery.

But it’s gratifying to see the duo acknowledge their own talent, as well, or at least not obscure it behind a self-conscious veneer.

In the dimly-lit performance hall, Scky Rei’s lines hit with greater force than they might had they been packaged with an apathetic shrug. Here, in the domain of the self-serious — a room where earnest music students are critiqued by masters of the craft — lyrics like “I’m expected to fail because I’m a black male, but I’m expected to prevail because I’m a young black male,” carry a ferocious weight.

And near the video’s close, when Scky Rei says “Both, yes that’s us. That’s we,” before INFNTLP takes it out on one more piano-flourish, it feels like a small moment of recognitional triumph. Yes, this is us and this is what we’re capable of. - Hear Nebraska

It seemed surreal — eight bands from Lincoln and Omaha meeting on the same outdoor stage in Austin, Texas for the Nebraska Exposed showcase (unofficial) at SXSW Music Festival. And the Nebraska music community — featuring Nebraska travelers to the festival and Texas-based expats — represented.

A Nebraska showcase at the annual music festival has been long discussed, and finally came together thanks to organizers Kyle Gibson, Spencer Munson and Jeremy Buckley, all of Lincoln. Sponsors included: Nebraska Tourism Industry, Duffy’s Tavern, The Bourbon, Jake’s Cigars-Lincoln, Roots Music Shop, Silver Street, Bodega’s Alley, Eagle Group and Hear Nebraska.

Aside for the Lone Star tallboys and 80-degree weather, it would have been easy to mistake Wednesday’s scene as a regular Friday night in Benson or downtown Lincoln. Nebraska natives and friends made Cheers Shot Bar their home base from 12-8 p.m., as did concertgoers who stumbled in from the festival’s busy 6th Street corridor. The showcase, which also featured Nebraska comedians, made for a great opportunity to catch up and meet new people. For the bands, it was a chance to impress on a national stage.

The sun beat down hard at noon as Oketo kicked off the show with a set that highlighted its five-part melodies and engulfing guitar solos. On songs such as “Like A Child,” the group was noticeably tight, evidence of its three-week national tour that ended with this performance.

During an upbeat set from hip-hop duo BOTH, frontman Scky Rei half-heartedly apologized to the few parents with kids in the crowd, advising them to cover their ears before rapping about growing up in his neighborhood in North Omaha.

“…Ain’t nobody fuckin’ with the Midwest side” - Hear Nebraska

One of the best things about the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards is the way it brings together an eclectic group of musicians for a single night of camaraderie. It’s a time where band members can congregate, catch up with other musicians, see a few friends and possibly take home some shiny recognition for all their hard work over the past year.

From country to cover band, each category was packed with nominations of some of Omaha’s best musical talent. The new format of the ceremony showcased the seasons with four segments that highlighted each category and nominee with a video that also included commentary from local performers. And though the videos were lengthy, they were interesting to watch, with all winners of the segment announced after the presentation.

The pre-show cocktail hour killed it this year with DJ Shor-T, as she got everyone in a great mood with her signature style that blended perfectly with the atmosphere and cocktails. Mariachi Zapata kicked off the event with an inspiring live performance that set the stage for an exciting evening. There were a lot of memorable moments this year regarding the music discipline. As always, the nominations were packed with heavy hitters in each category. Live performances featured rock, hip hop, and slam poetry stylings, ending the evening with a stellar collaboration of all three that kept the audience entertained until the very end.

The night included many memorable moments. BOTH took home Best Hip Hop/ Rap and Artist Of The Year and charmed the audience with their humble and hilarious acceptance speeches. Local music icon Dereck Higgins took home Best Progressive/Experimental/EDM for his first OEAA. Higgins acknowledged the Omaha music scene with true class, encouraging people to support the scene and musicians to keep inspiring audiences.

A touching moment occurred when Reader Columnist B.J. Huchtemann received quite the surprise as she watched Josh Hoyer take the podium to announce the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Those of us in the know happily watched Huchtemann as she realized the award was being given to her. Smiles, tears and a moving testimonial video paid tribute to her dedication to local music and the Blues scene.

The night was capped with a collaborative musical performance that blended rock, hip/hop, slam poetry, soul and indie band members. The mix was a perfect end to a night that put the spotlight on local music. After the show, Kait Berreckman and Shark Week helped celebrate the night with an after party at the Slowdown.

Following is a complete listing of the music award winners:

BEST ROCK: FREAKABOUT

BEST HARD ROCK: Screaming For Silence

BEST ALTERNATIVE/INDIE: See Through Dresses

BEST SINGER-SONGWRITER: John Klemmensen

BEST DJ: Dojorok BEST COUNTRY: Belles & Whistles

BEST AMERICANA/FOLK: The Electroliners BEST R&B/SOUL: Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal

BEST HIP HOP/RAP: BOTH BEST BLUES: Hector Anchondo Band BEST JAZZ: Omaha Guitar Trio

BEST PROGRESSIVE/EXPERIMENTAL/EDM: Dereck Higgins BEST ETHNIC: The Prairie Gators

BEST COVER BAND: Secret Weapon ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Twinsmith-Alligator Years

ARTIST OF THE YEAR: BOTH

BEST NEW ARTIST: Rothsteen

BEST RECORDING STUDIO: ARC Studios

BEST LIVE MUSIC SOUND ENGINEER: Dan Brennan – Slowdown

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: B.J. Huchtemann - The Reader

Omaha has a nationally recognized indie rock scene. But you knew that. However, did you also know that Omaha is the home to a burgeoning collection of hip-hop artists? Indeed, it is.

The city’s annual pivotal indie rock showcase ¬– the Maha Music Festival – even saves a slot or two each year for a local hip-hop group. At this year’s event it was Omaha’s BOTH, a hip-hop and rap duo that has been building a buzz for the past few years in the Big O.

Featuring rapper/singer/emcee Scky Rei and producer INFNTLP, BOTH released their full-length self-titled debut album in 2014 to much acclaim. It includes their infectious single “Toothpaste.” Both also just released a new EP featuring the song “Airwaves,” the video of which you can see by clicking HERE.

If that puts a snap in your crackle and pop, get to the Waiting Room tonight where BOTH will headline a bill that also includes Hologram Kizzle (Psalm One) and the Palmer Squares. - WOWT NBC Omaha

Before the gates opened to the 7th annual Maha Music Festival, about 500 people were already lined up outside.

When the gates finally opened, they rushed in where workers and volunteers and bands were already set for their arrival.

After a few last-minute soundchecks for the first two artists, BOTH and FREAKABOUT (both prefer all-caps), the music began.

It's the biggest early crowd I can every remember for the festival, but it's also already the fest's biggest year ever. If you hadn't heard already, Maha sold out yesterday.

When hip-hop duo BOTH took the stage, there was already a couple hundred people waiting. I'm not sure that many people were left at the end of the first year of Maha.

It was a good set from the duo complete with a guest appearance from Omaha singer Rothsteen and a great way to kick off the day.
It's a gorgeous day for some music, and FREAKABOUT is already rocking. I can't wait to see what else comes. - Omaha World Herald

Omaha hip-hop duo Both’s self-titled debut album lands as an album that wears national hip-hop tendencies like a well-fitting suit. Both shares qualities with prevailing trends, but those qualities are tailored and worked to the duo’s specific measurements.

Made up of emcee Scky Rei and producer INFNTLP, Both finds peers in a host of sort of post-Odd Future-bubble artists like Danny Brown, Joey Bada$$ and ASAP Rocky. As if to be an arrow pointing in the direction Both aims, Kami de Chukwu, who’s worked with Joey Purp and Chance the Rapper, appears on “Toothpaste.”

A lot of the credit for such associations belongs to Scky Rei. His low-register delivery is as subdued as it is aggressive. His lyricism is fun without being whimsical. On “Uhmmmmm,” a kind of lyrical if prosaic love letter, his chorus struggles for a proper simile: “You got me stuck like, uhmmm.”

Where Scky Rei finds good company in some of the biggest names in alternative hip-hop, INFNTLP’s production works makes Both something of a unique entry into any hip-hop catalogue.

It’s minimal and many tracks play like they’d be as comfortable in a fashionable hotel’s elevator as the bedding on which Scky Rei lays down his vocal work. Behind Scky Rei’s somewhat sedated delivery, the production commands a track’s mood with subtlety.

Both is exciting in its incongruency. Separately, Scky Rei’s and INFNTLP’s personal approaches sound like totally different schools of thought. But INFNTLP’s sparse production relieves Scky Rei’s delivery of any pressure to follow a form. Scky Rei flourishes with the freedom and Both is more vibrant for it. - Hear Nebraska

AUSTIN, Texas — As South by Southwest revved up, a lot of eyes were on Nebraska.

The music festival’s first official day featured Nebraska Exposed, a free showcase featuring eight bands from Lincoln and Omaha.

Situated on the cozy rooftop of Cheers Shot Bar overlooking festivalgoers buzzing in and out of venues on the street below, the showcase became something of a family reunion as well as a display of Nebraska talent.

A blend of musicians, venue owners, bookers, media and friends filled the small rooftop. Meanwhile, groups including Omaha hip-hop duo Both, Lincoln rock band Freakabout and Lincoln rock/R&B band AZP brought in a lot of unfamiliar faces, too.

All three started their sets with modest crowds, but as they continued, people were drawn into the venue, and the rooftop bar began to fill up.
“There’s some good bands in Nebraska, and it’s so cool we can come down here and play with them,” Freakabout’s Cortney Kirby said.

An impressive slate of bands did well for the crowds that arrived. Both’s hip-hop set was fiery. AZP’s rocking show shook the roof. Oketo gave its Nebraska take on indie rock. Bonehart Flannigan’s heartfelt acoustic songs were a great change of pace, as was Bolzen Beer Band’s irreverent polka.

Freakabout’s wailing rock jams and soaring guitars were the show’s pinnacle, and a booking agent stopped in to see them and AZP.
Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal closed the show with a set full of soul and funk.

Nebraska Exposed grew from an annual meetup at SXSW where those of us from Nebraska would get together, have a beer, exchange tales of the festival and snap a group photo. And with the work of Spencer Munson, Jeremy Buckley and Kyle Gibson, it’s now a much bigger and more public event.

Nebraska Exposed isn’t quite the same affair as the Des Moines Music Embassy. The Iowans occupied a very busy corner of Sixth Street, the festival’s main corridor, and an entire day of Iowa bands are slated to play this week. Other showcases take place at the same venue, but they all play under the banner promoting Des Moines and its various Iowa-based sponsors.

But Nebraska Exposed is a solid event. While other locales have good representation at SXSW, Nebraska bands struggled to get featured unless they were on Saddle Creek Records. The Nebraska Exposed showcase gives an organized platform to show off Omaha and Lincoln talent, and it was successful.

The crowd at Nebraska Exposed snatched up free “Nebraska Nice” beer koozies and red T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan from Nebraska Tourism, one of the showcase’s sponsors. Lincoln radio station KZUM handed out download cards featuring Lincoln artists, and record label Silver Street provided free CDs from its bands.

“Nebraska’s here. It’s awesome,” said Munson, one of the showcase’s organizers. “All the bands are really excited. What makes Lincoln great or Nebraska great is the camaraderie the bands have.”

Munson was already thinking of ways to expand the showcase and ways to improve the experience. But a slate of great and rather diverse bands showing the variety of great music from Omaha and Lincoln has already done a lot.

Even the bands are impressed.

“We got new fans,” said Both’s Nate Asad, who goes by INFNTLP.
“We didn’t know what to expect from South by,” added Sky Reed, better known as Scky Rei. “It turned out great.” - Omaha GO Magazine

No festival combines spectacle, sound and proving ground quite like SXSW. This year, Nebraska makes its strongest showing yet.

The 29th-annual Austin, Texas, mega-festival is already in full-swing, bringing together thousands of musical acts big and small — far too many to name. A record number of Nebraska acts find themselves in the same atmosphere this year, displaying the diversity of sound and talent the state has to offer.

Notably, eight bands will converge on Cheers Shot Bar (416 E 6th St.) Wednesday, March 16, for the Nebraska Exposed showcase, sponsored by Nebraska Tourism (RSVP here). A national audience will sample Nebraska hip-hop, soul, indie rock, folk and everything in between...

...The hip-hop duo of Scky Rei and INFNTLP have been something of a phenomenon over the last year. Scky’s growling delivery overflows with social and personal commentary, set to Nate Asad’s skillful use of tempo and classic sampling. That the group has recently opened for Conor Oberst’s punk band Desaparecidos and a handful of diverse local indie, soul and garage rock outfits speaks to the group’s dynamic sound and stage charisma. Both’s debut EP BOTHSUCKS dropped like a bomb in August, leading to its 2016 Omaha Entertainment and Arts award for Best Hip-Hop Act and Artist of the Year, and the opening slot at 2015 Maha Music Festival. - Hear Nebraska