[ad_1]
Just over a decade after releasing the forward-thinking anthem “I’m Proud (Remix),” First Lady JB is poised to empower the next generation.
At the end of September, the Vancouver-based Nuxalk Onondaga Nations MC will perform at a local high school and hold four rallies to accommodate all students who come to see her. The last time she performed there was four years before her, and the students appreciated her JB’s evocative set. “It’s great to run into people who have shared my story, and it’s had a positive impact on them,” she says.
This isn’t the first time JB and other veterans of the Canadian Aboriginal hip-hop scene have reached out to younger fans. From British Columbia trap-busting Haisla Nation duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids to Afro-Indigenous artist Boslen (who is signed to major Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada in partnership with Chaos Club Digital), an indigenous queer MC Dioganhdih and others, JB and her fellow OGs have helped usher in the golden age of Indigenous Canadian hip-hop.
JB says: But I was able to guide them. One of my main things with them is that Polaris is top of the line in Canada. Seeing Boslen perform on stage at a major festival is such a beautiful sight. “
Through solidarity, unflinching lyricism, and production that combines hip-hop with traditional sounds, the Indigenous rapper is breaking into the Canadian mainstream with songs that inspire the marginalized.
New Brunswick’s City Natives are especially noteworthy because they’re helping the often-overlooked East Coast reap its benefits. Leading single from the LP “The Honor Song Remix” people at dawnis a remix of “Mikumaku’s Honor Song”, a drum song and community anthem by area elder George Paul.
Classifieds sampled both remixes of Paul’s songs by Polaris Award-winning, classically-trained Indigenous musicologist Jeremy Dutcher, as well as Paul’s originals. On an instrumental swell, City Natives denounce Indian law and reveal other ugly truths in their lyrics.
“I’m not saying I opened the door for them.
“This album is part of our lives, because we live and talk about what’s going on in the reserve and being indigenous in the city,” said Blake Francis, co-creating the duo. Founder Brandon Arnold says: Arnold (who is Maliseet and hails from Tobike First Nation/Wollastkiyk Nekotokuk and Francis is Mikumak from Eel Ground/Natoaganeg First Nation) describes the album as “struggle and success. On the one hand, welfare.” I see family and friends who are undergoing it struggle. [also] Look at other family members and friends who have made it through the welfare system and become something. Certain members don’t get help from the band because they don’t hear the artists talk, like who they’re connected to, or how the Chiefs and Councils really work for the government. There are some harsh realities we live in.
When asked about producing the song, Classified calls Paul’s original a “classic”. And when Jeremy did it again, it got even bigger. Sonics aside, the class said when they heard what the City Natives were talking about, “I thought it was very dope and something people needed to hear. The poem definitely follows it.” raised to the level of
City Natives have been rapping for several years and are starting to break out, but more young Native artists are turning New Brunswick into a hotbed of hip-hop. His MC Wolfcastle of Pabineau First Nation (near Bathurst) burst into national limelight last year with ‘Get Lit’. There is also Flacco Finesse, cousin of Wolfcastle, who grew up in Pavineau. On “Pay the Price,” Flacko lends a chilling objectivity to rhyming about the meth addiction ravaging his community. He also declares, “My love for moms and lesbians, that’s all.”
“Songs like ‘Pay the Price’ fit right in with this Renaissance Aboriginal rap,” says Finesse. “We at Les deal with issues like substance abuse and lack of service every day. When we jump in the truck and speak honestly about what we’ve been through, more people notice it and talk about it. I can speak.”
Indigenous hip-hop talent extends beyond the coast. Manitoba MC Caid Jones call out! Last year don’t get distracted“Frozen City” details the rising murder rate that is disproportionately affecting Winnipeg’s natives. He conveys his desires in the album title his track, including his lines about buying a mansion for his family and repairing the damage done to the community. Jones is non-status, but his father was from Opus Kwayak his Cree tribe and was raised by adopted parents outside that community. Jones began attending ceremonies in his 2014 reunion with his Indigenous heritage.
“[We’re here] Raise awareness of missing or killed indigenous women, boarding schools and the lack of clean water in 90 protected areas. My reserve, the Six Nations, has not had clean water for 30 years. And it’s not OK. – JB First Lady
“It’s always been close to my heart with prominent inner-city issues like homelessness, addiction, poverty, and underfunded programming,” says Jones. I am always around the community, whether I am working with them or supporting other organizations. There are a lot of good people doing good work, and this sparks a lot of passion when I’m writing.”
This growing attention follows years of steady growth. In 2008, indigenous supergroup Rezofficial released the sturdy “Lonely,” which continues to garner accolades to this day, including being named one of Complex’s 20 best Canadian rap songs of all time. JB First Lady dropped ready 2011. A year after that, his fellow BC rapper Ostwelve released “Indigenous Summer.”Before It All, And Before His Political Career, Wab Kinnew Resigned live by the drum in 2009.
There was a breakthrough moment, when news of the discovery of an unmarked residential school grave grabbed international headlines, confirming the grim history Indigenous MCs have long known and written about. See T-Rhyme featured in international outlets such as Guardiannot to mention the previous Vise The documentary was inspiring for up-and-coming MCs like Valkyrie. The Edmonton host said the renaissance of indigenous rap “has been happening for years. We are trying to reclaim space by using music to heal and reconnect with our identities and cultures.”
With this momentum, The International Indigenous Hip-Hop Awards held its second awards ceremony in late August. Chris Sharp, marketing director for the award, said: , fighting for land, etc. The roots of hip-hop began in America’s black community, but I feel it has always been the voice of the voiceless. The reason is simple. It’s all about messages from the young and powerful talent of the First Nations community. “
Many of these points are provided by JB. “[We’re here] Raise awareness of missing or killed indigenous women, boarding schools and the lack of clean water in 90 protected areas. My reserve, the Six Nations, has not had clean water for 30 years. And it’s not OK.
“Indigenous peoples are oral history people. I see myself as taking oral history in a modern way called hip-hop.It’s amazing to see that evolution.”
[ad_2]
Source link
