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

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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: 'NiiMiDAA' (Let's Dance) - Idle No More Music Documentary

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Multitalented Anishinaabe producer, MC and Detroit Raiz Up Collective member, Sacramento Knoxx, has produced a new short documentary, "NiiMiDAA" ('Let's Dance' in Anishinaabemowin), in support of the Idle No More movement.

Featuring footage from the #RoundDanceRevolution and interviews with artists and organizers including Chantel Henry, Dylan Miner, and Don Lyons, the short film also includes a new music video for Sacramento Knoxx's anthemic #IdleNoMore-inspired hip-hop track "Dear Vaughn", which we featured late last year on the #NationHood Mixtape.

The doc concludes with footage from Idle No More solidarity rallies held in the Detroit-Windsor areas and provides background and context on this ever-evolving Indigenous resurgence and revitalization movement.

Produced by The Raiz Up Hip Hop Collective in solidarity with Idle No More, ZagaaJibiiSing aka (Detroit-Windsor) is Anishinaabemowin for 'place that sticks out the river'.

The Raiz Up  is a Detroit-based crew that uses hip-hop as a tool to create social awareness in their community through community dialogue, artistic creation and collective action. Combining Indigenous cultural roots with hip-hop connections is all part of their ongoing decolonization work to build community and create art and music:

Native American activism holds a prominent place in the group’s work as well. Most RAIZ UP members identify with indigenous culture and the group actively promotes decolonization, the reclaiming of native language and culture.

Members have dropped Native American banners from buildings, helped organize and document an Idle No More dance at Fairlane Mall, and put together an Ojibwe art installation to decolonize space at a traditional native site in Flint. They’re also interested in raising awareness about an Native American burial mound at Historic Fort Wayne in Southwest Detroit.

"NiiMiDAA" captures the heartbeat of Idle No More with passion and vitality; and Knoxx and his crew make it clear that the spirit of the movement lives on.

WATCH: "NiiMiDAA | Idle No More | ZagaaJibiiSing Solidarity"

DOWNLOAD: DJ Rawskillz Mix - "Ol' Skool"

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DJ Rawskillz (Anishnaabe) is climbing back on top with Twin City Vibe promotions partner Mz Lady Delight after a 7-year hiatus

DJ Rawskillz, aka Bradley Ellis, is a member of the Leech Lake Band and started his career in hip-hop back in 1998. He ranked as the #1 DJ in Minneapolis-St Paul when he won the Sound Clash battle between the best of the nightclub DJ's in 2000. He  returned to the scene this spring and says he "is hungry once again to regain his spot at the top."  Now Bradley Ellis is a Promoter, Booking Agent, Producer and a DJ, destined for further success.

DOWNLOAD: DJ Rawskillz Mix - "Ol' Skool"

DOWNLOAD: Savage Generation - "Warrior"

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This new track from the KASP and Savage Family project Savage Generation is the first release from the collaboration Warrior.

Collaborating on the project, Savage Generation, KASP and Savage Family have teamed up to bring us this new track Warrior that instills a call to listeners to be inspired by the ancient values of an Indigenous warrior. Both KASP and the group Savage Family have been creating socially impactful 'resistance music' pumped directly into the bloodstream of Indigenous hip-hop. And this latest track is no exception.

DOWNLOAD: Savage Generation - "Warrior"