Tri-City performers, signed to West Coast Records, to join Lil Wayne at Kennewick show

When Lil Wayne takes the stage Thursday in Kennewick, he’ll be joined by a rising group of artists who’ll look familiar to local music fans.

The Tri-City-based West Coast Records camp is set to open for the hip-hop superstar at the Toyota Center show.

It’s an exciting opportunity, the performers said — one of several big developments for the collective of rappers and singers coming down the pike in the next few weeks and months.

After the Kennewick show, the West Coast crew heads to Denver for another Lil Wayne concert Friday.

Then they play the Knitting Factory in Spokane with Lil Dicky. That show is Sunday.

The camp also recently traveled to the Los Angeles area to record music at the famed Encore Recording Studios.

They’ve all been working on music for years and are excited to be gaining even more steam now, they said.

“We’re going to hit the entertainment (world) from about six different angles at the same time,” said Quintin Kolt, a rapper and singer.

“We’ve got some really good new music. It’s really crispy, really new, really fresh,” added Kurtis Dell, a rapper who goes by Jerk Jagger.

At the Toyota Center on Thursday, “We’re going to come out and put a show on,” he said.

Justin Henning, owner of West Coast Auto Dealers, started the West Coast Records label last year.

Along with Kolt and Dell, the label’s artists set to take the stage this week include rapper Avery Azylum, singer Alphonso “Young Rich Nics” Nichols, singer Jai Kelli, rapper David “S.W.K.” Penn and Frank Aguinaga, or DJ Felon. They’ll each show off new songs — and their own personal styles.

“Our set is so different. You’re not getting just one artist saying, ‘Here’s my R&B track, here’s my rap track,’ ” Kolt said.

“It’s literally pop, R&B, gangster rap. It’s every style, every genre, in a 30-minute set. We take our fans on a roller coaster ride,” he said.

Showtime is 8 p.m. Along with the multiplatinum-selling Lil Wayne, the bill also features rising Atlanta rapper, singer and producer Russ, plus the group Bonaphied, which includes show organizer La Fonte Joe of Yakima. Tickets still are available through Ticketmaster and the Toyota Center box office. They start at $52.

Tickets purchased through the box office avoid service charges.

Each of the West Coast Records artists has been making music for years with success. But coming together on the new label has been something special, they said.

It means more resources and the chance to learn and take inspiration from each other, they said.

“We’re a team. It’s a lot of teamwork — that’s how we’re able to move the way we do. It’s a family at the end of the day,” Kolt said.

And while they’ve played big shows before, it’s a thrill to open for Lil Wayne and take the stage at the Toyota Center, they said.

“You drive by that (venue) every day. I remember saying, ‘One day I’m going to be performing there. One day, I’m going to be on that stage,’ ” Kolt told the Herald. “For us, it’s being able to show our hometown, this is the product we have to deliver to you guys.”

Nichols said he’s excited to perform before the hometown crowd after all the hard work the West Coast camp has put forth.

The performers have juggled rehearsals, recording, day jobs and family life. “We’re ready to put on a great show,” he said.

Kelli said she loves connecting with the audience and inspiring feelings of empowerment.

For Kolt, it’s about making a difference. “I love when people tell me our song helped them in some way, shape or form,” he said. “That’s the greatest part.”

Dell said that, in his view, there’s no feeling like facing a crowd with a microphone in hand.

“It’s a high that no drug or money can give you. Being on stage is an incredible, incredible feeling. I think the only time I’ve ever felt that good is seeing my daughter born,” he said.

He and the West Coast Records camp are blessed, and they know it, he said.

“We’re doing what we love to do,” Dell said. “I wish everyone could do what they love to do, because it’s a great feeling.”

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Tri-City performers, signed to West Coast Records, to join Lil Wayne at Kennewick show."