DOWNLOAD: Wake Self's "Different", featuring Equipto, Miles Bonny, and Raashan Ahmad

Wake Self returns with the killer posse cut, "Different".

Aztec/Apache/Cherokee hip-hop artist, Wake Self, has been holding it down for a minute, and we'll be the first to admit that we've been sleeping on this incredibly talented MC.

But that's all done now. We're officially on board.

Following a dope freestyle flip of Drake's "0 to 100" instrumental a few months back, the Albuquerque-based MC jumps back into action with his latest joint, "Different", a dynamic posse cut featuring Bay Area MC Equipto, Miles Bonny, and Oakland’s Crown City Rocker Raashan Ahmad.

Wake Self's voice is instantly recognizable and his flow is undeniable, plus he's thoughtful, clever, and intelligent. Over a head-nodding beat produced by MaulSkull, Wake Self and his comrades spit some serious bars about keeping it true to self, embracing your uniqueness, and the need to actively uncage your imagination.

If knowledge of self is one of hip-hop's foundational elements, it's also an essential part of the struggle for decolonization and self-liberation.

So let these talented MCs take you on a trip to the forefront of the Indigenous hip-hop movement. They're chasing a dream bigger than fame and money, and that's the path to self-love and acceptance—a more powerful form of wealth than any material gain could give.

Like the chorus tells it: "you might be different / but that don't make no difference / just do what you gotta do".

True.

DOWNLOAD: Wake Self - "Different" feat. Equipto, Miles Bonny, and Raashan Ahmad

Wake Self's latest album, Good Things Happen to Those Who Wake, is available now at wakeself.com. His new album, Malala, is set to be released this summer.

VIDEO: Aztlan Underground - Sacred Arrow Sun

The summer solstice is welcomed in the highest Indigenous regards by Aztlan Underground in this video for the instrumental track Sacred Arrow Sun.

We just passed the summer solstice recently, which has always been a special event for Indigenous cultures all over Turtle Island since time immemorial.

Legendary Indigenous music collective Aztlan Underground helps us to welcome the solstice and honor its gift of energy and sustenance with this instrumental composition and powerful artistic video production for their song Sacred Arrow Sun.

The video is described on their YouTube page as:

The tribal instrumentation of Sacred Arrow Sun serves to welcome the summer solstice in the Native way. Aztlan Underground marks the sacred event with rattles, huehuetl drum, pow wow drum, raspers, wooden and clay flutes.

This also gives a sneak peek into their upcoming album project Unearthed which is due to be released upon the next winter solstice in 2012.

Don't forget to check out our interview with Yaotl Mazahua from Aztlan Underground in: RPM Podcast #014: “Mesoamerica”

RPM Podcast #014: "Mesoamerica"

In the 14th episode of the RPM Podcast, host Ostwelve speaks with two musical architects of the Mexican Indigenous revival - Yaotl of Aztlan Underground and Zero from El Vuh.

On the flags of Canada and U.S.A. there’s nothing that speaks of pre-colonial times - nothing to symbolize the long history of Indigenous peoples on these lands. But look at the flag of Mexico and see smack in the middle a golden eagle with a serpent in its claws. That is an Aztec symbol.

Scholars like to talk about the Aztec civilization as though it’s a thing of the past, but as the flag suggests Aztec culture is alive and kicking with a rhythmic revolution.

Yaotl shares how being Indigenous has shaped his experiences, identity and music, and how he seeks to "see tomorrow". Zero describes the magic that happened when creating music joined his cultural knowledge and where to El Vuh has taken their work.

Check out their music and conversations with Ostwelve and share this post!

DOWNLOAD RPM Podcast #014: "Mesoamerica"

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The RPM podcast is produced & engineered by the amazing Paolo Pietropaolo.

Photo illustration created by the talented Joi Arcand with an images from Oaxaca by Mike Jo.

DOWNLOAD: Vic Buildsafire - "Revolution"

Dine’, Pomo, Aztec, and Spanish artist Vic Buildsafire is an independent, self-produced hip-hop artist based in California. The production value of his work is high and the message is strong – his submission to RPM instantly caught our attention and we’re stoked to share this track with you. His new album, The Barter, is about trading cultures, motivation and self-reflection and Vic is driven to represent his tribe and share life’s struggles through his music. While he talks about the struggle, he's coming at it with love. Feel it and get the whole album at vicbuildsafire.bandcamp.com. DOWNLOAD: Vic Buildsafire - "Revolution"

SPOTLIGHT: Aztlan Underground

The conscious, Indigenous, rock-infused, hip-hop music of Aztlan Underground is still bringing musical medicine to audiences after more than two decades.

An institution in their own right, Aztlan Underground has been instrumental in influencing a new generation of musicians and free-thinkers. Their work within the community proves their dedication to their word, work and statement as a real, conscious, intellectual musical movement in this world of fashion, commercialism and industry standards for the last two decades.

Aztlan Underground has played with amazing conscious groups like Dead Prez and Rage Against the Machine and continue to rock crowds and communities around the country and globe. With songs like the anthem "My Blood is Red" and "Decolonize", Aztlan Underground smashes through the expectations of what a rock band should be and keeps their self-determination on the frontline of their tools for conscious expression.

Their sound comes from a mesh of different musical backgrounds mostly reigning from the Punk and Thrash metal scene in Los Angeles. Mixed with some Hiphop and Traditional instruments, they have achieved an unforgettable sound that keeps everyone on edge til the last song is played and the eagle down settles.

Growing up within poverty and a violent society, Aztlan Underground has turned these societal ills around and projected this energy into a form of music and collective movement that has reached out to Indigenous people around the world. Using elements of their own culture like the traditional instruments and native language of Nahuatl, their music and philosophies have become the theme music of a generation and fuel to a fire of freedom and expression.

If you're on the path to decolonization and self-determination, Aztlan Underground is a definite must for your playlists. They will make you rethink, reframe then repatriate your eardrums and pledge allegiance to the ancestors and musical spirits for the coming of such a group.

To see more about Aztlan Underground check out the links below:

Aztlan Underground Website

Aztlan Underground's YouTube channel