Sebastian "Koins" Veerman, Daeson "Dae1" Guillermo and Isaac "Izzy I AM" Makemau started out as friends, and formed the Broke Mokes in 2010. The three have gone from talented Kaneohe teens to young men on the grind as they get set to celebrate the release of their latest hip-hop EP, "Keep Your Head Up."
Their sound is lively and direct, with island and R&B undertones and just enough grime.
"We keep it as real and as blunt as we can," said Guillermo. "For us, it usually starts with the hook, the heart, the core — the part that we connect on that we want everyone to relate to."
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BROKE MOKES EP RELEASE PARTY
Where: The Republik, 1349 Kapiolani Blvd.
When: 7 p.m. today
Cost: $5 at the door for ages 21 and over; $15 for ages 18 to 20
Info: facebook.com/BrokeMokes
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"Picture this: three teen local boys from different childhoods, upbringings and musical backgrounds recording music in a two-door Ford Focus using Garageband and a Sure mic wrapped in a sock," Makemau said. "How serious were people going to take us? How serious did we want people to take us? The answer … only as serious as we take ourselves."
In 2012, they started performing at Hip Hop at The Trops, a local showcase at the now-defunct Tropics Cafe in Kakaako. Audiences responded.
The Broke Mokes went on to hit bigger stages, opening for national acts such as Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, IamSu!, Ty Dolla Sign and Murs.
Tonight the band debuts its new music, and gets a shot at being the main attraction.
The take-on-the-world message of "Kill Them All" is the project’s highlight, while the double-time flows and trumpet-laced beat on party jam "Stop Your Judging" provide depth and variety.
"Keep Your Head Up" also represents a huge step forward in packaging and sound quality. Gone are the generic plastic cd sleeves and Sharpie-scribed titles on burned CDs.
According to Veerman, the seven-song effort (available for purchase at bandcamp.com) is symbolic of the band’s maturation.
"Becoming adjusted to adulthood, evolving as artists, learning how to balance life’s ups and downs — all came into play," he said. "I’m confident we won’t stop here. This is only the beginning."
