Donnie Bonelli – a poet, comedian, musician, hip hop artist, and member of the Provo rap collective House of Lewis – passed away yesterday after a long and difficult fight with cancer. He is remembered as a light and a vessel of love.
House of Lewis is an influential force in the state’s rap and hip hop community. Founded in 2010 by producer Chance Lewis and Apt (Adam Hochhalter) to cultivate a local hip hop culture, the collective expanded to include Donnie Bonelli, DJ Skratchmo, Atheist/Rhyme Time (Scott Knopf), and DJ ChuOnWax.
Their growth came through venues like Velour, Kilby Court, and Muse Music Cafe, where they developed an irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, cross-genre sound blending hip hop with rock, funk, soul, and indie. The group was one of City Weekly’s “Best of Utah” winners; they had a stint on America’s Got Talent; and they frequently headlined major Utah festivals, opening for acts like Snoop Dogg, Common, and Run the Jewels…