Residential schools; unjust incarceration; the ’60s Scoop; missing and murdered Indigenous women.
They are all tragedies suffered by Canada’s Indigenous people that you might hear about on a CBC newscast or at a protest march. But in their newly released album, Centretown-based DJ trio A Tribe Called Red has put these issues front-and-centre in the world of dance music and rap.
The Indigenous musicians released their latest album, We Are The Halluci Nation, on Sept. 16. Halluci Nation is an activist hour of both club bangers and spoken word pieces named for the poetry of John Trudell, famed American Santee activist and writer. The record features collaborations with Atikamekw drum group Black Bear, Polaris Prize-winning throat singer Tanya Tagaq, Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and rapper Shad. The trio did not immediately respond to a request for an interview.
“On this album, it’s a little harder to miss the politics,” joked DJ Ian Campeau in a recent interview with HMV Canada. “Our earlier albums had fewer English words.”
Campeau added that the album would be a success “if people start listening to the messages that are in there,” and “we start making people see the system for what it is and recognizing oppression.”
A Tribe Called Red, which got its start at Babylon Nightclub on Bank Street, is made up of Campeau, Tim “2oolman” Hill, and Bear Witness. Bear Witness and Tim “2oolman” Hill are from the Cayuga and Mohawk First Nations respectively, while DJ NDN identifies as Ojibwa. A Tribe Called Red has been working with Babylon for seven years, hosting monthly “Electric Pow Wow” nights. The group started the events — now legendary in Ottawa’s music scene — after seeing Ottawa clubs having Korean & South Asian nights, and wondering why there were no dance nights for First Nations youth.
Gail Gallagher of the Ottawa-based Native Women’s Association of Canada has high praise for the DJ trio. “I think they have been very effective in educating the general public about the issues facing Indigenous people today. It does a lot of good for improving conditions and treatment of Indigenous people.”
Gabrielle V. Fayant, an Ottawa-based Indigenous activist, says A Tribe Called Red’s music has helped build unity and solidarity between groups of oppressed people, Canada-wide. “(They) are perceived as inspiring and definitely as a rallying point. You can’t have a get together of young Indigenous folks without someone adding ATCR to their playlist. I admire DJ NDN’s efforts to call out racism and stereotypes.
“A lot of youth look up to them.”