RPM is proud to bring you an exclusive premiere of The Last Stand Mixtape, Vol. 1—a groundbreaking new compilation of Indigenous music, hip-hop, and spoken word.
If storytelling is the lifeblood of Indigenous creative expression, hip-hop has become its most recognizable and resonant form.
Across Indian Country, Native artists are uniting in common consciousness to effect change in their communities and to take a stand to express what they believe in. And they're rocking mics while doing it.
The Last Stand Mixtape, Vol. 1 brings together a rising generation of Indigenous voices dedicated to using art and music for social change. More than a year in the making, the compilation features a who's who of emerging artists mixing hip-hop, R&B, and spoken word poetics over the mixtape's 22 heartfelt tracks.
From Mic Jordan's impassioned opener "#DearNativeYouth" and Enter Tribal's "Love of My Life", to new joints from Tall Paul, Frank Waln, and Def-I, the mixtape includes Native hip-hop from across Turtle Island, plus soulful R&B jams from the likes of Desirae Harp and Inez Jasper.
But it's the addition of spoken word that sets The Last Stand apart. Poetry courses through the album's veins. It weaves through the beat-based tracks with new pieces from The 1491s' Bobby Wilson, Tanaya Winder, and Rowie Shebala, to the beatbox rhyming of Lyla June Johnson's "Sundance Year Round".
The Last Stand Mixtape represents the best aspects of being Indigenous in the 21st century: it's rooted in culture, pushing the boundaries of what's expected, and building a community ready to stand up to anything.
So, as America gathers around the dinner table to binge on turkey and colonial conquest, today's a good to day to give thanks for something worth celebrating—the survival and artistry of Indigenous youth bringing power back to Native America.
Stream and download: The Last Stand Mixtape, Vol. 1
Back for its 14th year, the Distiguished Storytellers Festival (previously Sâkêwêwak Festival) brings five days of storytellers, elders, spoken word artists, dancers, performers and music to Regina, Canada.
Sâkêwêwak is a Cree word meaning "they are coming into view." The Artist Collective and annual festival has always brought emerging and established artists and their work to the prairie city of Regina, celebrating both traditional and contemporary performance and storytelling artists. The festival includes storytelling luncheons, evening performance, and a daily story telling bus tour with Cheryl L'Hirondelle.
This year's lineup is packed with goodness. Moe Clark, Daphne Pooyak, Bob Smoker, Jack Dalton, Stephen Fadden, Lara Kramer Danse, Ryan McMahon and Mihirangi are all scheduled to perform. Weekly passes and tickets for individual events are available - get the full schedule and more at: sakewewak.ca/storytellers-festival.
To get started, here's Mihirangi's "Make That Soul." Dig it!
The Brisbane Blacks, an independent non-profit First Nations publication based in occupied 'Australia', has brought together a bombastic roster of Indigenous hip-hop musicians, spoken word artists, and activists for the Invasion Day 2014 Mixtape.
Following K-otic 1's killer "Idle No More Invasion Day Mixtape 2013" from last winter, the Brizzy Blacks are keeping the beats banging and the rhythms of resistance rocking with this new compilation of music for the movement.
The Brisbane Blacks "exist for the sole purpose of awakening the Black CONSCIENCE, raising Black AWARENESS and articulating the Black RESISTANCE"—all of which can be heard in righteous hip-hop form on this dope new mixtape, which was just released as a free download, following a wave of nationwide protests throughout Australia against the colonial celebration of "Australia Day" on January 26th.
The Invasion Day Mixtape celebrates the resistance and resurgence of Indigenous peoples in "Australia" to rise up and reclaim their presence in occupied and colonized lands. As MC Triks and bAbe SUN spit on their anthemic track: "We Still Right Here". And that's something we can get behind. Solidarity, brothers and sisters. This is a perfect first #MixtapeMonday of 2014.
Check the full track list and download the mixtape below.
INVASION DAY 2014 MIXTAPE - FULL TRACK LIST
1. BLACK SHIELD - "Your ENEMY is my ENEMY"
2. Boomerang Effect - "da Brizzy Blacks"
3. Lorna Munro - "Peace Lines"
4. GUERILLA TACTICS - "Dedication"
5. La' Teila - "Propose a QUESTion?"
6. MC Triks ft. Black Shield - "Fist Like This"
7. ?PRE ft. bAbE SUN and C.P.G. - "Why is My/HIStory such a Mystery?"
8. Provocalz ft. Dara and Black Shield - Stand Strong 03:37
9. Grammar - "So Sophisticated" (Brisbane Music Group)
10. Black Shield - "We Still Right Here(intro.)"
11. MC Triks and bAbE SUN - "We Still Right Here"
12. Uncle Paul - "My Land Will Not Be Taken!"
13. La' Teila - "SMILE on my face"
14. MC Triks - "Australian Black Originals(ABO)" Co-Produced by MC Triks
15. Callum-Clayton Dixon - "LAND, LAW, LANGUAGE, LIFE &LIBERATION"
April blossomed with a bouquet of releases in the world of Indigenous music - here are eight to check out.
ForeverC-Weed Band
The legendary C-Weed Band released their 17th album this month and the lead single, Can This be Love, is already climbing the charts on the National Aboriginal Music Countdown. Get it on iTunes.
The Philosophers Stoned MixtapeIll CitizensWinnipeg's Ill Citizens have released their third mixtape - the first of two they'll put out this year - which features all original material with beats produced by Walter "DJ Wawa" Lounsbury and Sebastation Gaskin. Download it from hotnewhiphop.com.
I am Woman. Kwe
Lena RecolletAnishnaabe poet, actress, vocalist and visual artist Lena Recollet has released her first full-length album featuring her mix of spoken word, soul-jazz, traditional native music and folk. Get it on iTunes.
Garfield Street (The Mixtape: Vol. 2)
Young JibweThe ever prolific producer, rapper and activist Young Jibwe of Dog Creek First Nation keeps it coming with his latest release. Get the free download here.
Beauty and Hard TimesMama DWith a sound that draws from blues, folk, rock, gospel, country, Eastern European, and classical styles Mama D delves into hard times lyrically, but delivers it all in musical beauty.Get it on iTunes.
Red Makaveli
Joey StyelzThe first full-length rap/hip-hop release from Joey Stylez of Moosomin First Nation can be yours for free! Download it from datpiff.com.
YK the MayorYoung Kidd
Winnipeg-based emcee Young Kidd actually released this mixtape at the end of March, but we didn't get a chance to tell you about it then! The album includes 16 tracks with guest appearances from Keisha Booker, Shai, Quick Cash, Lotto, Terell Safadi, Fresh IE, and Critical. Download it from datpiff.com.
Upright & Locked Position
Don RossThe 14th solo recording from finger-style guitar heavyweight Don Ross is a melodic collection of new original songa and new recordings of some of his early compositions. He's an incredible player, be sure to take the time to listen and get the album from candyrat.com.
Watch the title track from Don Ross, The Upright & Locked Positon:
From Pura Fé and John Trudell's recent European tour, this video has emerged of the duo in France performing a rendition of Trudell's Wild Seed.
Starting at the end of January, Pura Fé and John Trudell embarked on a European tour that took them to France, Scotland and The Netherlands, including stops at the Sons d'Hiver Music Fest in Paris and the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow.
The pairing have just completed the tour, but for those of us who didn't get to see them live this time around, this video is a sumptuous peak into the great collaboration between two of our most beloved artists from Turtle Island who are taking Indigenous music culture to world beyond.
Front lady for Tdot's Red Slam Collective, Mahlikah Awe:ri, speaks on growth of the group and the ways that they give back. Red Slam will be headlining Redwire's upcoming show Sentinel Shores: A Group Show and Event Exploring Land Defense February 2nd at Rhizome Cafe, Coast Salish Territories.
Marika Swan @ RPM: Wanna introduce yourself?
Mahlikah Awe:ri : My name is Mahlikah Awe:ri aka MC AngelHeart I am one of the four founding members of the Red Slam Collective. We also have other members that are a part of the collective now. We have four core members: we have a core drummer, a core bassist, we’ve added a saxophonist and then we mix it up with sometimes bringing in other emcees or a beatboxer or our B-boys.
MS: Who is making it out to Coast Salish Territories next week?
MA: So we’ll have MC 7th Son (Annishnaabe), Miles Turner (Six Nations, Mohawk), Isaac Llacuachaqui aka Riverwalker (Inca), myself (Mik’maw, Mohawk), Jav Bravo (Aztec), Will supporting us on bass and Paul our saxophonist cant make it but he’ll be there in spirit.
MS: How did the collective come together?
MA: In the fall of 2008 I was asked to do something at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, which is our Friendship Centre, around spoken word. At that time I was getting back into slam poetry competitions and I noticed there was no other natives in the circuit. So I thought maybe I should expose some other people to this art form. A set of people came to the workshops and they were into hip hop and into music. I had met Isaak a year before at an open mic so I asked him to join in. So it was 7th Son and Miles and our former member Lena who were always going. The youth coordinator encouraged us to apply for a grant to take things to the next level and take some of these lyrics and turn them into actual songs.
We applied and with that grant we got a mentorship with Digging Roots. Digging Roots took us on and got us to apply for another grant to record the single Bring It Back at their studios. They taught us how to make music and record in the studio and all the business side of music as well. We started with local booking at community centres and then we got a travel grant to go to different reserves and cities across Ontario. This was the spring to the fall of 2010. So we ended up doing a lot of little shows and it was really great exposure. We also got a chance to bond as a crew and figure out where we wanted to go. When we ended our tour at the ImageNATIVE opening for Martha Redbone, we thought 'we need a band'. So we started working with other musicians and figured that synergy out and then we ended up with a new sound Isaak calls soul-rock hip-hop.
We have always been very forthright in our lyrical content in terms of issues that we know are relevant to our people. On a global scale because we are connected globally. Whether that’s about land, water or whether it’s dealing with residential school or whatever it is. When we were first trying to get bookings when we got our travel grant, there were some people that were hesitant to book us because of the lyrical content of our pieces. But now that we’ve had occupy all over Toronto and everywhere else we’ve had certain things come to light through the media in our different communities about the quality of our water and all this other stuff. Now we are inundated in our inbox. We cant even keep up with the amount of requests for us to come out and perform at various events dealing with the same stuff that people, even some of our own people, didn’t want us to be talking about. And I’m proud of us as a crew that regardless of what people had to say when we were coming up we steered that course and we kept on it. I mean, we talk about other stuff. We talk about love. We talk about the party. We’re people, we’re human. But at the same time we cant ignore the real issues that are affecting us.
MS: Tell me about the workshop side of the work you do.
MA: Yeah so aside from being a hip-hop fusion band we do Four Directions Community Arts Engagement workshops. We usually build collaborations with either a social group or a school or an arts organization and we deliver workshops based on what the kids want to do. My role is the artistic coordinator for the workshops, and based on what they want to do which members of the crew would be best to come in. So when we went on that tour in 2010, wherever we did a show we also had a workshop. It’s also a great way to embed our traditional teachings... so starting with orality. Rap is orality and our people are storytellers. Usually I’ll start by telling a traditional story and then I flip the same story but totally in rhyme. Then we’ll start getting them to write lyrics to visuals by various Indigenous artists that explore the same themes as the original story did. They come up with the hook and they decide what themes they want to discuss. Based on those themes we weave together a set of bars for each verse and then they decide who wants to be the emcees and who wants to be the musicians. And then we come together collaboratively and record it so that they can see how far they have come. We love doing that kind of work. We’ve got a lot more of that stuff coming up.
MS: Well we are all really excited to have you. It’s going to be pretty cozy at Rhizome but I think it’s going to be really special. We’ll have some speakers and some films and then mix it up with some live music to keep the energy flowing.
MA: It’s really timely for us, many of us have family out on the west coast so we’ve been talking about this for a while.
MS: So I was checking out a live clip of you all performing 7 Fires on youtube and was loving it. What's that track all about?
MA: Woo yeahh! That’s a track a co-wrote musically with Isaac Riverwalker. We’ve just been working on that track in the studio. I wrote the lyrics and its about the Annishnaabe 8th Fire prophecy. Looking at the prophecies that have already happened and what it is that we need to do now as a people. It’s become a big track for us, people seem to like it. We weren't going to play that one but maybe I should talk to the boys and put it on the set list.
The Collective expresses their creativity through their Okra (story) and their Owena (word) in the spirit of indigenous oral traditions using contemporary poetry live reggae hip-hop soulrock and drum talk. A variety of themes are expressed in their music and poetry, but the underlying goal is too uplift, self-identify and unify through spoken word. SLAM (Spoken Lyricism Arranges Meaning).
Find out full event info at redwiremag.com.
Sentinel Shores: A Group Show and Event Exploring Land DefenseFebruary 2 @ Rhizome Cafe, starts @ 6pm
Featuring Artwork by
Joi Arcand, Erin Marie Konsmo, Christiana Latham, Chandra Melting Tallow, Marika Swan and Carrielynn Victor
Screenings of
A Mothers Nature by Vanessa Claxton
Bloodland by Elle Maija Tailfeathers
Business as Usual by Jay Cardinal Villeneuve
And Special Guests:
Arthur Manuel and Ta'kaiya Blaney
With RED SLAM COLLECTIVE!
Here is a video of the Red Slam Collective performing 7 Fires live:
Anishnaabe poet, actress, vocalist and visual artist Lena Recollet, from Wikwemikong, Ontario, on Manitoulin Island, released her first EP this year - Soul Speaking. A poetry film of the track Historical Landmark premiered at the 2011 imagineNATIVE festival and Lena opened for Buffy Sainte Marie that same week. This is our favourite track from Lena, a spoken word piece about finding her own Personal Power. Be inspired.
DOWNLOAD: Lena Recollet - "Personal Power"
Secwepemc and N\'laka pamux, Chris Bose is a writer, multi-disciplinary artist, musician and filmmaker. Chris does not confine his music to genre. While making art on a daily basis and working, it seems he uses whatever medium suits the creative idea best. It can range from roots to metal, from acoustic to this little spoken word ditty he sent us... that we love. You may not know what you're going to get from Chris with each new track you tune into, but you know it's going to be good.
DOWNLOAD: Chris Bose - "Words Are the Devil"
Joy Harjo's (Muskoke)Red Dreams, A Trail Beyond Tears is one of the runners in both Best Artist and the World Music Category at this year's Native American Music Awards (Nammy's) and a recent Indian Summer Music Awards winner. Harjo is a saxophone player and award winning poet and writer. Combining the two, Harjo accompanies her poetry with musical elements of tribal music, jazz and rock. Enjoy.
DOWNLOAD: Joy Harjo - "Perhaps the World Ends Here"
Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Tuscarora. In our sixth episode we look at the music from the Six Nations.
The Six Nations are a cultural and historical force. Part of that strength in the abundance of musicians who have come from this artistically concentrated area over the years.
RPM talked to blues artist Murray Porterabout the Native influence on blues, multi-disciplinary artist and radio host Janet Rogers on her continuation of traditional oratory through spoken word (and feeling "lucky to be be born brown"), and newcomer guitarist/songwriter Joel Johnsonwho is continuing in the long line of fantastic Six Nations blues artists.
Also, Oneida comedy legend Charlie Hilloffers a few wise words.
The RPM podcast is produced & engineered by the amazing Paolo Pietropaolo.
Photo illustration created by the talented Joi Arcand.
RPM Records
Revolutions Per Minute is a global new music platform, record label, and boutique agency for Indigenous music culture. RPM’s mission is to build a visionary community of Indigenous artists and to introduce Indigenous music to new audiences across Turtle Island and around the world. Our main site, RPM.fm, has featured the work of more than 500 Indigenous artists and shared their music across our social networks of more than 275,000 followers.
RPM Records is the first of its kind: a label for contemporary, cross-genre Indigenous music, run by Indigenous people. Selected by The FADER as one of “5 New Canadian Record Labels The Entire World Should Know”, RPM Records artists include Ziibiwan, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Exquisite Ghost, and Mob Bounce.
