War Party (band)
War Party | |
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Origin | Hobbema, Alberta, Canada |
Genres | Canadian hip hop First Nations music |
Years active | 1995 — 2004 |
Members | Rex Smallboy Hellnback Big Stomp |
War Party is a Cree hip-hop group from Maskwacis, Alberta.[1] Its founding members are Rex Smallboy and Ryan Small. The members are ex-wife Cynthia, Karmen "Hellnback" Omeasoo, Bryan Omeosoo and Tom Crier.[2] The band's music combines rap rhythms with aboriginal themes and stories.[3]
History
[edit]War Party was founded in 1995 by Rex Smallboy and Ryan Small. Three others later became involved.[4] The group won the Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Best Rap Album in 2001, and was nominated again in 2002 and 2003.[5][6] As well, they were the first First Nations rap group to have a music video aired on Much Music.
War Party performed and recorded together for twelve years.[7] The group then disbanded; Hellnback and Big Stomp of the group went on to form RezOfficial.
In popular culture
[edit]The band's song "This Land Was Ours" is featured in Ari Gold's 2008 film Adventures of Power.
Discography
[edit]- The Reign (2000)
- The Greatest Natives from the North (2003)
- Exclusive Rez Cuts (2002)
- The Resistance (20??)
References
[edit]- ^ "So You Wanna Be a Rap Superstar?". Memewar Magazine, Issue 8, page 68. by Thor Polukoshko
- ^ "Aboriginal youth turning to hip hop". Brandon Sun, via Newspaper Archives. November 27, 2002 - Page 7
- ^ "Rap goes native". Medicine Hat News, via Newspaper Archives May 09, 1997 - Page 3
- ^ "Hip Hop to the Bop Rez Style". The Nation, August 24, 2001 • By Brian Brousseau
- ^ "Indigenous trailblazers who helped shape the Canadian music scene". Canadian Beats, By B Hartling on July 1, 2017
- ^ "Aboriginal Music Awards launch festival". Medicine Hat News, via Newspaper Archives. November 30, 2002 - Page 19
- ^ John W. Troutman (14 June 2013). Indian Blues: American Indians and the Politics of Music, 1879–1934. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 253–. ISBN 978-0-8061-5002-4.