Tucson rapper hosting trio of artists for ‘Monsoon Sounds’

Back in the day when Tucson native Marley Bertrand was a newcomer to the hip-hop/rap scene, he got a leg up from a more seasoned artist.

“My earliest connection that really got me outside of the city was Murs,” said the 37-year-old rapper, who goes by the stage name Marley B.

Bertrand was referring to rapper Nicholas Carter, best known by his stage name Murs, who had lived in Tucson for several years in the early 2010s.

“He took me and Cash” — Tucson rapper Cash Lansky (Dominic Harris) — “under his wing very early on in my career and it just kind of skyrocketed from there,” Bertrand said. “I've just been blessed to be around these circles and know the right people to advance the way I have.”

On Saturday, Sept. 26, Marley B. is taking a page from his mentor when he hosts “Marley B. ‘Monsoon Sounds’ ” at 191 Toole, featuring a trio of independent underground rappers:

• The collaborative duo of JusDorian & Venezi, who lean old-school hip-hop. “JusDorian used to go by ShoNuff back in the day and ShoNuff was one of my favorite rappers when I was coming up,” Bertrand said.

• San Manuel rapper Effren (aka Effren Haro), who Bertrand said recently came on his radar. “I think he looks like a good fit for the show,” he said.

• 1WEH, a rapper that Bertrand said is originally from Atlanta and is now in Casa Grande, who is best known for his battle rapping. “I saw him at Shays a few months ago, and I just really thought he was a good vibe, and figured we could give him a shot, you know,” Bertrand said.

Bertrand said he hopes to make “Monsoon Sounds” an annual event that helps shed light on the rap scene in Tucson and around the state.

“In the past 10 to 15 years that I've been doing stuff, I've definitely seen it grow from having one to two venues really accepting hip-hop, and now we have multiple venues that have open mic nights every week based around hip hop,” he said. “We still haven't found our footing in the industry necessarily. There hasn't been that super breakthrough artist or a super breakthrough sound for what Arizona is. But I think that this area is conducive to artists, and it's a good place to be if you're trying to progress with your art.”

Bertrand, an alum of Sahuaro High School who has been performing for 16 years, said he has been “blessed to meet a lot of artists in the industry,” many of them by chance. He parlayed an introduction of a couple of tour managers by a friend at The Rock in 2014 or ‘15 into a job selling tour merch for Xzibit and Dizzy Wright, which over time led to opening spots on tour with other underground artists.

“I've been to the East Coast, I've been to the West, all through the Midwest,” he said. “I've done some stuff in Canada, as well, with Dizzy Wright.”

Last year, Bertrand, who is signed to an indie imprint out of Los Angeles, performed an album release show at Club Congress for his latest release “Body of Work.”

Saturday’s concert at 191 Toole, 191 E. Toole Ave., starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15-$20 through rialtotheatre.com.