Year 2: Rappin the Rivers later this week at 'The Bridge' near Three Forks

Year two of the Rappin the Rivers Music Festival will take place later this week at "The Bridge" near Three Forks.

The event, scheduled for August 16 to 18 is billed as Montana's largest two-day rap, hip-hop, and EDM festival.

According to organizer Nickel Barney, preparations for year two have been going well and he lauded the lineup in 2024.

"We have a great mix of artists," he said.

Headliners for this year's event include Brother Ali, Cordell Drake, Dizzy Wright featuring a live band, Filth and Foul, Killah Priest, Kosa Dillza, Lady Dice, Mickey Avalon, Montana of 300, Swizzy B and Loudlife Crew, Stevie Stone, Talib Kweli, and The Kid Pluto.

The 2024 festival will have three stages with live music on August 16 from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. and August 17 from noon to 3 a.m. on the 18th.

Looking back on the festival's origins, Barney said it caters to people who haven't been represented for years.

"There has always been hip hop show here and there, but Rockin' the Rivers and Country Jam have almost been like staples in the local community that everybody knows about, said Barney. "We're representing all the people who love hip hop and EDM music and trying to cater to an untapped market. I was born and raised here, and I'm trying to keep my dreams alive and make Montana a place where hip hop can flourish."

Along with serving as the event organizer, Barney will also perform with his group, Filth and Foul.

Barney said that at last year's festival, many people said Filth and Foul's performance was the highlight of the show.

"Our live performance is a little bit different than how the industry does it these days...The way Filth and Foul put it down, by the time I'm done with my partner Contact, we are usually drenched in sweat and out of breath because we give everything in our performance. We feel like we just pour it out, so you walk out and say, damn, those guys really know what they are doing," Barney said.

Regarding lessons learned from last year, Barney said you cannot count on anyone to have your back -- you have to do it yourself.

"There are a lot of things and a lot of pieces and parts to make something that big happen. And you can't expect anyone else to care as much as you do. So, with it being my show, I'm putting everything I can into it. This year, I think I've organized a lot of things, that I waited until the last second last year, hoping it would work out. This year, we are not waiting till the last second to make sure we have our ducks in a row. We learned a lot of hard lessons last year," he said.

Barney is also hopeful for better weather in year two.

"The weather was a hard lesson last year. We had put a roof on our main stage about a week before the show, and the night before the show, the roof blew off. When it came time for the show, we didn't have time to put the roof back on. We just had to pray the weather was good, and the weather was not good.

For those attending, Barney said they can expect to see three stages going at all times for two days with a variety of music.

"And more rap artists than you probably thought existed, all performing at the same event. If they weren't there last year, they definitely missed out on the crazy experience of making it through the weather and having the show go on. And this year, we're just hoping that it's a smoother transition and that mother nature doesn't crap on us," he said.

The event will also include merchandise and food vendors.

Tickets for the event and camping are each $100. For more information, visit https://rappintheriversmt.com/.