Phenom enjoying success with REDDNATION

Page 8

His name is Ian Russell but he is better known as Phenom, the newest member of REDDNATION, a hip hop group that has been ripping the roof off clubs and winning awards for their slamming beats.

Russell became a member of REDDNATION in 2004, joining the other members of the group-Darren Brule, a.k.a. Ill Logical; Keith Laboucan, a.k.a. Madjikal; JR Saddleback, a.k.a. Anasaz; and Sean Beaver, a.k.a. DJ Hooligan.

Phenom is originally from Regina, making him the only import in the Alberta-based group.

"When I joined, once we actually came together as a group, we realized we kind of had what we needed to make it a complete package for shows and albums and we just kept building off each other," said Russell.

When it comes to award shows, Russell is proud of every nomination that the group receives, but actually winning the awards is a whole other feeling.

The group won the Best Rap or Hip Hop Album Award at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (CAMA) held in Toronto Nov. 24, but Russell said that doesn't compare to the award REDDNATION received at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in Winnipeg, just three weeks before the CAMAs. Everyone from REDDNATON except DJ Hooligan was on hand Nov. 2 to accept that award, a best album nod for their second CD, Now or Never.

"I think winning that one was more important to me because it was the people's choice and that's better than just a small committee picking your CD for best album," Russell said.

"I think when people vote for you online and they pick you-and I think there were thousands who voted-and we won by the biggest margin out there. So obviously that's a big thing because people like what you're playing."

The nominations didn't come as a surprise to the band, Russell said, "because we knew it was a pretty strong album."

"The competition was really good too, so I was kind of surprised we won. But at the same time we had confidence behind it," he said."We didn't go there to lose it. We were out there hoping to win and we did what we came to do."

With every band or musician trying to get out their own unique but memorable sound, Russell admits there are struggles along the way. One of the struggles for REDDNATION has been trying to step away from being referred to as a Native hip hop group.

"We want to have commercial success without losing our Native roots," he said.

"People will look at us and say, 'Oh you're RN. That's a Native hip hop group.' We hated them saying that specifically because, as proud as we are of our heritage, we just want to be know as a hip hop group where everyone will listen to it and get the messages from the Native rappers but at the same time enjoy it as non-Native people listening to it," he said.

"There's a lot of barriers we come into being Native but that's what we're trying to break down, is those barriers, and let people who buy the music decide for themselves."

As much as he's dedicated to banging out beats and trying different melodies with REDDNATION, Russell is working on an individual sound for his solo CD, which he expects to be out in mid-April.

"It's my own style that I'm bringing to it because when you look at RN as a group, you got four different minds trying to complete one project, where with this, it's my own sound," he said. "I love music from start to finish."

In addition to working on his solo project, Russell is still hard at work with the other members of REDDNATIO, who have just finished shooting their second music video,Wiggle Dem Toes.

For more information about REDDNATION, visit the group's Web site at www.reddnation.com.