Red Power Squad releases long awaited album

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This past October, the Red Power Squad released their highly anticipated debut album, Total Kaos. For those unfamiliar, the Red Power Squad (RPS)is an independent Native rap group from Edmonton that has performed at many youth conferences across Canada and has opened for many star rappers.

Conway K, the group leader, recruited another rapper, Redd-E, along with some powwow and break dancers: James, Jordan, Vincent, and Leo to the Red Power Squad in the mid-1990s. Since then, they have promoted the release of Total Kaos at every performance, and now fans can finally pick up their new CD after waiting more than three years.

Total Kaos is an 18-track album, with productions from Dumage and RPS that tend to give the same concept on each song-partying. People will enjoy their first listen because of the RPS anthem which starts the album with a catchy hook: "If we have the flows that you like, say oh yeah, the Red Power Squad is in the house tonight, say hell yeah!"

People familiar with RPS will know the hit song, Confidence, which has Conway K rapping another catchy hook: "Coming in style, we versatile, you got what, you got what!"

Most of the songs on Total Kaos speak for themselves, such as Ride (Like I Do) and Rock Da Mic and R2R (Ready 2 Rumble), which are all party favorites.

However, not all the tracks on Total Kaos are meant to rock the party. The RPS also deals with Native social issues on some tracks like Be Aware and Hidden Truth and Look to the Sky.

One song that stands out is Be Aware, which warns Native youth about the dangers of society with an interesting story about a young couple who meet at a powwow: "He makes up some lies so you can sympathize/ why you're so naive why can't you realize/ that all he wants with you/ is for u to give it up/ he didn't wear a condom/ but that's aright with you/ the sex was irresponsible/ but both of you knew." The message: be responsible.

The track Hidden Truth talks about "the crooked politicians and not enough Indians" on First Nations communities. It also talks about how politics can hurt a community, and how Native people should unite to become a stronger nation. Sadly, people may not take them seriously because rarely is there an adult who listens to hip hop. Native youth, however, will enjoy this album for its party songs and Native pride theme songs that give a good representation for self identity.

The production is next to average, and since it's an independent album, it's expected to have a sound that is not engineered to perfection. However, each song is a good song, especially the ones that push the envelope, like Keepin it Raw where they warn the haters to back off with lyrics like: "If you want war/ you better bring it raw/ cause I'm much more hard core/ drop you to the floor." The highlight of the album is the booty-shaking song. Shake That A$$, which gives a good beat, a great hook, and great lyrics, and is sure to be a hit single. This is one particularly for the clubs, which is a much needed track for Total Kaos.

Total Kaos is RPS' first offering, and the group will only get better as it gets more experienced. Some people may criticize RPS for not keeping it "positive," but much change is needed in the Native music industry, and someone needs to push the envelope to take Native music to the next level. The Red Power Squad is proudly leading the way for up-and-coming Native hip hop artists. You can listen to Total Kaos at their website: http://Zipline.to/octavo/cd/rps