Res Publica

Indigenous res rappers like Hellnback and War Party blend storytelling and hip hop, rhyming about community, impoverishment, and social deprivation

By Jeremy Young
The McGill Daily
November 13, 2006

“I will never stray away from my people,” raps native artist Hellnback. The theme of community finds yet another artery in the great circulatory system of contemporary hip hop culture. You may not be familiar with this particular community of native hip hop artists, or Res Rappers, but the scene is growing rapidly, from the urban epicentre of Edmonton to the rural plains of both Canada and the U.S.

Res Rap blends the cultural heritage of traditional storytelling with the heavy stylistic influence of American hip hop. This cultural hybrid arose out of a connection many natives living in reservations felt with the images of impoverished urban ghettoes in American hip-hop, finding it easy to identify with the hardships of black ghettoes.

Res Rap is both a reference to this cultural bridge, which attempts to create a more unified North American society, and a unique form of its own. Aboriginal instruments and traditional chants frequently make their way into native producers’ beats. The historical and social issues that affect the native nations are constant themes running through the lyrics. Hellnback talks about “residential mistreatin’/ the drug addiction and alcoholism/ colonialism/ in natives that’s locked up in prison.”

Alberta’s War Party is famously known for their messages of hope and empowerment, and for informing youth about the problems of drug abuse, suicide, and political activism. Their slogan – “making music to make a difference” – can be extended to accommodate the goals of Res Rap in general. Redd Nation is another hip hop collective hailing from Alberta. Despite their strong dedication to their own Cree culture, Redd Nation denies the label of “native” for the purposes of keeping their image non-exclusive. The collective garnered quite a few nominations in the recent 2006 Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards.

Kasp, another Cree MC from the group 7th Generation, similarly uses hip hop as a medium for change. In an interview with Exclaim!, Kasp talked about how the native youth struggle to find their own identities in the face of social deprivation.

“The kids follow what they see, right, so they’re going to see some guy sipping on a 40, rockin’ all this ice and saying he’s dealing this and that and he’s smoking all this weed – they’re going to go out and do the same thing, and that’s what I’m not feeling.”

Litefoot, an extrememly influencial Cherokee rapper, has been in the music business since 1989. Not only has he succeeded in music, but he is also the CEO of Native Style Inc, a motivational speaker, a non-profit spokesperson and an actor. You may have seen him starring in such movies as The Indian in the Cupboard or Mortal Kombat – I know I did.

Hip hop acts regularly perform at large pow-wows to audiences filled with both die-hard fans and new listeners unaware of the movement. The result is always positive. Native communities feel that this popular art form is an extremely effective vehicle of promoting nation-specific values.

In American hip hop, individual identity plays a huge role. While a rapper’s roots usually have a big influence, culture is often something that artists set out to oppose. For members of the Res Rap community, culture is what they set out to protect and preserve. Res Rappers are using music as a medium for political empowerment and social betterment. As Vancouver artist Os12 maintains, “our voice is our weapon/ our truth the bullets.”

Source: mcgilldaily.com