Shooting straight from the hip

Page 5

They opened for international rap artists Wu Tang Clan and Ice T. They play recreation centres in isolated northern communities. The group War Party is "Cree hip-hop straight from the reserve" and their fan base is growing across North America.

In April the Hobbema group played at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler, B.C., in a show that was broadcast internationally on ESPN. In mid-July, they found themselves a figurative world away, playing to an audience of about 50 young people at the eigth Annual Metis Settlements Youth Conference held at Kikino Metis Settlement, 180 km northeast of Edmonton.

Group leader Rex Smallboy, a 30-year-old who has seen most of the curves life throws at Native people, said playing the small concerts helps keep the group grounded in the reality of what they want to write about, and allows them to see the impact of the messages they deliver.

"Life is 20 per cent what happens to you and 80 per cent how you deal with it," he told the youth at Kikino.

"Believe in yourself." And help others believe in themselves, he added. "Lift each other up.

"The biggest thing I learned with my music is believing in myself," he said. "There are a lot of similarities between what happened with Native people and blacks in the United States," and that's why hip hop, which came out of the inner-city black experience, had its initial appeal for Russ and fellow group members Karmen Omeosoo, 22, and Rex's wife Cynthia Smallboy.

Both the American black population and North American Natives are economically and socially downtrodden people, Rex Smallboy said; people who have had their pride and dignity assailed for generations.

"Hip hop gave me a voice to express those issues," he said. "It also became a healing tool that showed me how to move on with life and have a positive attitude.

"We try to represent the Indian experience in a responsible way. We talk to Elders about what we should be writing about," he told his audience.

Often they are accused of "trying to be black; trying to be something you are not," he added. His response is that "hip hop transcends racial lines. It's international. There are hip hop performers in China, in India, all over the world."

The international nature of hip hop music, as interpreted by War Party, can be heard in their sound that incorporates samplings of jazz, soul, rock, and even country.

"Hip hop is like today's rock and roll," Smallboy said in an interview after the performance. "It's an evolved form (of music) with the street identity. There are no barriers to expression. We can do anything we want and get away with it."

The appeal of War Party is found in the mix of the music and the message they deliver, but for the group the music came first.

"The message just kind of came because the music made us soul-search," Smallboy said. "It made us take a look at ourselves, and look at our people and where we came from.

"Hip hop gives me the opportunity to voice myself. It gives me the opportunity to stand up and be proud of who I am and influence young people in a positive way."

He said they had no intention of exploiting who they are or where they came from.

"We do not pretend to speak on behalf of everybody. We're just trying to create some positive vibe in our people.

"We need to restore pride. I tell these kids they can do whatever they want. Your dreams are the boat that carries you to success."

The success of War Party is a testament to following a dream, though it's a success that falls a little short if you measure it in only economic terms.

This is a "working to make music" group, but if there is any fairness in the music business their time is just around the corner.

The group first came together in 1995. They won the "Best Rap/Hip Hop Album" at the 2001 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards for their first CD- The Reign-available through www.arborrecords.com. They released a six-track EP in April, and will be releasing a 20-track D this summer/fall, which they are producing as an independent. This CD will be distributed by HMV music stores. "We are handling all the business of it ourselves," Smallboy said. "I had to learn to be a white businessman, but I still maintain my First Nations integrity; I do my music for my people."

The CD that will be released later this summer was recorded at their home studio at Hobbema using computer technology learned from the ground up.

The group is also doing a compilation called "Rez Cuts" to expose other Native rap and hip hop groups.

"Word of mouth from our fans is creating a buzz about us, "Smallboy said. "They are our inspiration."

A music video that got a lot of play on MuchMusic, "Feelin Reserved", is adding to that buzz. The video was produced with funding from MuchMusic, the first time a Native American rap or hip hop group received such funding for an independent project. The video was also nominated for "Best Music Video" in the 2002 Urban Music Association of Canada awards.

The group set another first when they were the first Native American group to host MuchMusic's "Rap City" show, and another when they were the first musicians in Canada to get sponsorship from international designer Tommy Hilfiger when they wore his clothing at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler.

War Party has opened for the groups Wu Tang Clan, Mack 10, and Ice T, and played in front of thousands of people at the Native American Music Awards in Hartford, at Canada Day in Calgary, and in big clubs like Reds in Edmonton. They played at the opening ceremonies of this year's Indigenous Games in Winnipeg, and in a concert during the event. They also play all over Western Canada to small audiences like the one at Kikino.

One of their biggest gigs was one that never happened. They were the opening act for the Wu Tang Clan show in Calgary in 1997 that was cancelled when some of the Clan was detained at the border. The cancellation was last minute, and thecrowd outside the building was not happy about it.

"It was scary," Smallboy said. "We were inside the building and people were trying to get in. There was almost a riot."

Their smallest gig was just as memorable-playing in front of 14 kids in Profit River in northern B.C. A foul up by the manager meant the equipment was left behind on the long road trip.

"We did the concert, but didn't have equipment for the dance," Smallboy said. "The kids went home and came back with their home stereos and lights, hooked all the equipment together and got us to DJ their dance. We met positive kids all over, but that was a unique bunch."

Watch for War Party on the big ticket shows in the future, and keep an eye out for them in the far flung communities of western Canada and the N.W.T. For tour schedules and updates on their recording projects, visit their web site at http://www.warparty.cjb.net.