Today we’d like to introduce you to The Bodega Brovas.
Hi The, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We come from different parts of the country Travii is from Chicago originally, HeadKrack is from the Bronx, New York and Keynote is originally from the DFW. Our DJ D-Teknics hails from Ft. Worth. The odd thing is we all kind of grew up knowing each other. We all were in different rap groups and would often run into each other at different events around the city. Keynote and HeadKrack actually went to rival high schools (Lewisville & The Colony)
As fate would have it, HeadKrack and Keynote started doing radio together. And during that time, Travii started working at the radio station and would sometimes record random songs after they got off the air.
We also were on each other songs. We always did stuff. We rocked shows with each other, all kinds of things like that.
Our time together forged a unique friendship the extended past music. Sometime aroound 2008 HeadKrack was tapped to go overseas for a tour. Not wanting to go alone, Krack told Travii and Keynote to roll too so we can all wild out and have fun on the road. Typically there would be one song in HeadKrack’s set that feature Travii and Keynote but since we were cooking up so many songs, it made more sense to work some of those in too.
We decided, hey, l”ets think of a name for our crew” and Keynote and HeadKrack came up with “The Bodega Brovas”
For those who don’t know , Bodegas are commonly known as independent mom and pop stores in any respectable neighborhood. You can cop candy, sandwiches and sometimes weed all from the same spot.
It’s kind of like us, although we’re hip-hop heads to the core, we enjoy different kinds of music and we’re able to do different styles of hip-hop and it sounds comfortable where a lot of people might try to do different styles of hip-hop and it don’t sound comfortable, we’re able to do it all.
So our first tour together, our first major shows together were all in the UK. So it was kind of a big blast off of the whole group.
And it ended up working out very, very well. We were still cool with our own crews and everything, but we decided to be best for us to join forces like Voltron.
We’re very eclectic, our interests are eclectic, our music is eclectic, our visions are eclectic, we have eclectic backgrounds. That’s kind of how we came to be, and we are more than just a group, we are Brovas for real, for real, you know. Weddings, baptisms (Keynote was recently baptised), funerals, child birth, we live through everything together, so it works out, and whenever you’re family, it makes it easier for the group to stay cohesive even when we are off doing our own things too. We support each other , and that’s how the Bodega Brovas came to be.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been yes and no. Music-wise, the output is so insane that we actually outwork ourselves. We have at least five albums’ worth of material stored on a hard drive. However, the music game is always evolving, and what it takes to make things break kind of switches up every 6 to 12 months. When we started, the heavy influence was with blogs; a few years later, it started leaning more towards content and social media. That part was a little tricky because by that time, HeadKrack had moved to Atlanta.
We would still often link up for shows, but every time we would get together, it would only be a snapshot of the amount of time that we would typically spend together working on things. But luckily for us, we’re very resourceful and started utilizing technology to close the gaps, so sometimes what you may lack in marketing budget, you make up for it with just doing creative things, and that’s what we always try to do, whether it’s on stage or off stage. And every time we perform live, we make new fans.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What we do at Bodega is provide a vibe. If you listen to any of our previous work, you will find songs that speak directly to you as opposed to making trendy songs that are right now for the moment. We try to think long range and make songs about feelings, experiences, and fun times. I think what sets us apart from a lot of other groups and acts in our field is the fact that we care a lot, sometimes too much. We put so much into our live show in our performances that we’ve become very well known for being a tough act to follow in any given scenario. Even when we’re not together, we still rehearse. Even the songs that we’ve done thousands of times, always trying to figure out new things to add to our set that will leave people talking about it weeks after they’ve seen it because that’s the best form of promotion, the live experience. And then when you get a chance to listen to our music intimately in your own personal setting, whether it’s in a car or at the gym or wherever life may take you, we want to make those records that find you when you need them the most.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think the most important quality to our success is the fact that we keep showing up. Especially understanding that in the larger scope of things more people probably haven’t heard our music then have heard our music. It’s never been above us to loop back to something that we did in the past and shine new light on it whether it be in the form of visuals, re-releases, remixes, or whatever. In our attempts to make timeless art, it definitely shows to be true when you can re-release something 10 years old that still fits now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://headkrack.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodegabrovas?igsh=MXZrMG1hNXd6ZHBzcA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BodegaBrovas
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@bodegabrovas?si=rgrSLzEfIj8Km9tb
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-bodega-brovas
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=channel_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazIzVXJhcTBCQVVZbTVMem5UUGtGbzBfeWdKUXxBQ3Jtc0ttcFNCRHp5ZmZjSmoxQWR6OV9vbXZKNW1NVm51bHgwVDhYQUoyTzZGM0xQck9TV3FWWWJZRWRjZ1BESDlrVkVLeFNqb3BhRzFkbzlqM1FwQnBEM281NUNVVk82TFY3eHhjdjg1X1BiVDhReDRYRmlJZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fartist%2Fthe-bodega-brovas%2Fid392353350
Image Credits
Glo Vader aka Gloria Levario
