Les Fortunate is a trio out of Boise, consisting of producer Weighn Beats and emcees Clev Speech and Mo Digs. They united as a group to give their first album, which is simply self-titled.

I don’t pretend to know a lot about the Boise hip hop scene, but I do know that Weighn Beats is a really talented producer that I know from his work with Oso Negro. Now he’s teamed up two other emcees, and they are both really talented as well. Weighn Beats’ production style is sample-based left field boom bap, which sets the stage perfectly for Clev Speech and Mo Digs, who just hop and trade clever rhyme after clever rhyme with each other. It’s an album that just full of fun shit talking and wordplay, as Clev and Mo try to outdo each other over Weighn’s weird funky beats. It’s an album that makes me feel like I’m back in my college radio days, listening to some great underground hip hop like was being made back in the early 2000s. I especially enjoy “Ask Clev,” which just has the fattest bass line, extended food metaphors, and then turns on a dime and becomes an old school hip hop track on the chorus. The only minor criticism I have is that we never turn the corner into more serious subject matter. This isn’t the worst thing in the world, it just means that while we have a lot of fun with this record, we just don’t get that moment where we can connect to the music on that more personal level.

Les Fortunate did a good job of setting the table and establishing a sound with their first album. The group is made up of three very talented individuals who have good chemistry together. Hopefully, they keep making music together, because I’d love to see them expand upon their foundation and explore their potential.