War Party (band)
| War Party | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hobbema, Alberta, Canada |
| Genres |
Canadian hip hop First Nations music |
| Years active | 1995 — 2004 |
| Associated acts |
RezOfficial Big Slim |
| Members |
Rex Smallboy Hellnback Big Stomp |
War Party is an award-winning Cree hip-hop group from Hobbema, Alberta.[1] Its members are Rex Smallboy, his wife Cynthia, Karmen Omeosoo and Tom Crier.[2] The band's music combines rap rhythms with aboriginal themes and stories.[3]
History
War Party was founded in 1995 by Rex Smallboy and three friends.[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
The band's song "This Land Was Ours" is featured in Ari Gold's 2008 film Adventures of Power.
References
- ↑ "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.