NDN rap artist = 1 of a kind
BravesHeart
WHATTA RUSH - I GOTTA SEE & HEAR THIS DUDE. HES CHEROKEE:
His raps come from a Native heart
By Abe Winter
SOMERS - He's known as Litefoot and his uniqueness is something to behold.
As an American Indian rapper, he's the only one of his kind.
"Doing it the way we've done it and the way we're we doing it, you're pretty
much looking at him," Litefoot said during a 30-minute interview prior to his
free concert at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Union on Monday night.
"It's definitely been ground-breaking, definitely blazing your own trail.
Sometimes you feel like you ought to get an honorary trailblazer award from
hip-hop just for doing what we've done.
"There was a feeling in the early days that rap wasn't for Native people. Over
the years, people have seen that truly, my message is more important than any
vehicle that it comes in."
Litefoot, 34, doesn't want to be categorized in the same manner as many of the
best-known rappers.
"Sometimes, a lot of rappers get lumped into the same category for what one or
two may speak about," he said. "It's one of the biggest businesses in the music
industry right now - rap, hip-hop and urban music. When I started, it wasn't.
"So I definitely think a lot of people take lumps for what a few people do just
to make money. It's shock value and I think the record companies have
prostituted the industry for that."
His lyrics convey a message of truthfulness, and he makes it clear that it's
from the heart.
"Over the years, the message has definitely gone from something that was for
Indian Country and has moved beyond that," Litefoot said. "It's starting to
transcend racial lines and the lines that have been put there to kind of
segregate people, and it's become a message that is very relative to people at
this point and time all over the world."
Litefoot, a member of the Cherokee Nation, was raised in Oklahoma. His interest
in music came from listening to Motown and other rhythm and blues artists.
He started by writing poetry and listening to rap music. He became a performer
after being asked to write a rap for his sister's band. When asked to perform
his lyrics with her band, a career was born.
Since 1988, Litefoot has recorded 13 albums, most through his own record
company, Red Vinyl Records, and has performed across the country and
internationally. Many of his shows are attended by young American Indians who
see him as a role model.
He's also appeared in several movies, including "Indian in the Cupboard," "Kull
the Conqueror" and "Adaptation."
First Nations Entertainment, Inc. was formed to handle his concerts and other
appearances. A merchandise division would come later as Litefoot's popularity
increased.
Today he is proud to be associated with a company that is totally owned and
operated by American Indians.
"I've been very blessed. I've literally traveled around this world and
performed from Rome to some of the tiniest reservations throughout this land,"
Litefoot said.
Litefoot was a popular artist at this year's Indian Summerfest in Milwaukee.
That led to the invitation from Amy Hernandez Maack, a Parkside senior who is
president of the Sacred Circle: American Indian and Indigenous Peoples Student
Organization at Parkside.
"I thought it was awesome," Maack said of Litefoot's performance at Indian
Summerfest. "I'm an older student (32), so I'm kind of out of the pop and
hip-hop music scene. But I was impressed that he was able to incorporate Native
values and beliefs into his style of music.
"His message is positive, clean and truthful. One of the jaw-dropping moments
for me was when he addressed the problems of alcoholism, drugs and gang
activities that exist within the Native American community."
Sophomore Bony Benavides, a Parkside student from Colombia, was anxious to hear
Litefoot perform.
"I'm not a rap listener, but I really want to know how he gets his message to
the people through his music," said Benavides, who is the vice
president/secretary of the student organization that co-sponsored Litefoot's
appearance along with Plan 2008 and Multicultural Student Affairs.
"I'm new with the Native American culture and heritage and I want to learn more
about it."
Litefoot performed in front of a small, but appreciative audience. His message?
"I don't know if it's really clean, but it's the truth," he said. "Sometimes
the truth falls upon people in many different ways, and the truth isn't always
what people like to hear or want to hear. But the truth is the truth, so
therefore you speak the truth and I don't know if you're always going to win
friends and influence people immediately.
"But over the years, I think that if you speak the truth long enough and they
stick around to find out where this all comes from they see it is what it is.
In a way, you have to be patient with people, to catch up with you sometimes.
... The truth has been here forever and sometimes people may think the truth
changes, but the truth has always been the same."
Litefoot believes that he, like rap, is here to stay.
"I'm becoming accepted by the industry," he said, "but not because of why the
industry loves for people to get accepted. What I have to say in my music has
garnered me respect."
melody_my_...@eightdollarfeathers.zyx
Try http://www.airos.com I think they play him there.. I know they play rap there.
brave...@aol.com (BravesHeart) alt.native :
melody_my_...@eightdollarfeathers.zyx
Not sure why it sent an attachment..
melody_my_...@eightdollarfeathers.zyx alt.native :
MIB529
There's an Apache one here in LA, RedSoul. (BiCapitalization
required.)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rojoleo
I'm a lurker there.
Oh, here's Litefoot's site:
http://redvinyl.com/site/site.asp
Unfortunately, it uses mostly WMV/WMA files for clips. Not being a
Wintendo user, I can't get the files.
brave...@aol.com (BravesHeart) wrote in message news:<20030923233611...@mb-m23.aol.com>...