As a teenager in the 90s, I listened to a lot of hip hop from groups like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Del The Funky Homosapien, etc. Some called it the golden era of hip hop, with a lot of the rhymes and subject matter being political or “conscious” in nature. I miss listening to stuff like this and wondered where it all went. I know, it's probably still out there, I'm not digging like I used to, but I think a lot of the current Native rappers out there have picked up the torch. We're constantly trying to bring awareness about clean water, no oil pipelines and other issues on the reservations and in Native communities and music is just one way we can get the message out there.
With that being said, you have to check out this new video from Christopher Mike-Bidtah, aka Def-i. I first saw him at Gathering of Nations performing with jazz group Delbert Anderson Trio and was blown away by the whole band. His solo stuff is just as amazing.
This song comes at just the right time, when all nations are joining together to fight the Dakota Access Pipeline.
“At times, I feel I can't rely on my own tribal leaders
For lying and signing deals with those supplying glycol ethers”
Daaaaang! Like I said, powerful words all throughout this song.
Check out his whole album Shields for Raining Arrows over on his Bandcamp page: https://def-i.bandcamp.com/.
