Rapper Joey Stylez shares his new music and insights into staying creative during a pandemic

First Nations–Métis singer-songwriter, producer, and rapper Joey Stylez shouldn’t be solely a musician. He is additionally an activist, designer, and visible artist.

His latest album, 3 Eye Hip, is the soundtrack for a movie by Darkish Shawn. Stylez just lately shared his ideas on this venture with the Georgia Straight.

GS: Inform our readers about your present album 3 Eye Hip.

JS: In all my years of making music my life-style has been very clear in my most up-to-date content material. At this level in my life I’ve matured into pursuing a acutely aware lifetime of steadiness. Many individuals concerned within the New Age motion are likely to seek advice from it as having your third eye open. So it’s like being hip to the world from a third-eye viewpoint.

GS: What impressed you to incorporate a documentary?

JS: Many individuals haven’t totally grasped my progress as a human, as an artist, and I discover it handiest to indicate them what I would like them to know in relation to my motion and model. So this was a manner of spoon-feeding my viewers the brand new me.

GS: What reminiscence stands out essentially the most throughout the making of 3 Eye Hip?

JS: After I was in Saskatchewan throughout the Junos I received to spend a while with my family members, which was nice. The day I recorded “It’s the Life” I spent the afternoon with my late cousin Will and my bro Jason Chakita who’s on that music with me. Will had served a variety of time incarcerated in his life so he had a bunch of face tattoos, neck tattoos, and hand tattoos, and as we walked round Midtown Plaza in Sask., the police have been referred to as because of the uneasiness our presence created.

This Is one thing now we have grew up feeling our entire lives again residence. I dropped off Will, informed him I beloved him and that this time he wants to remain out of jail. He stated he’ll “attempt”.

That evening, me and Jason went to a boxing membership that our life-style group Pressured Road owns and arrange my moveable studio and that music simply occurred so fantastically. There was some younger brothers watching in amazement with how pure the music-making course of is. It actually speaks to our lives—that music—a few of us have needed to hustle and dwell robust lives to our meals on the desk and hold the lights on.

That was the final time I seen Will. He gave me a series and ring and I hold that in drugs bag to maintain his Warrior spirit with me. 

GS: What’s a very powerful message for youth right this moment?

JS: All of us have an inside voice linked to our spirit. If you let the Soul communicate as a substitute of the thoughts, you’ll all the time keep true to your self. In case you let your Spirit information you it is rather onerous to go mistaken.

GS: What did you study from your loved ones that you just’re in a position to apply to your music?

JS: A objective as a musical artistic is to have the ability to make music that’s enjoyable for my younglings, can nonetheless encourage one thing in my elders, and have a 20-something-year-old dancing and reducing unfastened. So the relationships with my household is what allows me to know what makes them tick and I flip round and put that into my music.

GS: What function does artwork (films, music, dance and so on) play in therapeutic communities?

JS: Louis Riel spoke some critical knowledge when he stated “My individuals will sleep for 100 years, however once they awake, will probably be the artists who give them their spirit again.” And that’s how I really feel about it 100%. In case you can spark a hearth inside somebody, you’ll be the gasoline to navigate them by way of their battles—and music, artwork, and flicks touches that a part of your soul. So we in a way are a part of that battle to heal the individuals at a bigger degree.

GS: Title three Indigenous artists who we ought to be watching proper now.

JS: Carsen Gray, not solely as a result of she is my spouse, however she has one of the stunning voices interval!

Lancelot Knight—after I first began dabbling outdoors the hip-hop realm it was Lance that was there displaying me what it was prefer to play with a band. His new music popping out is gonna have individuals freaking once they hear it.

Tia Wooden. She is a younger sister and he or she is doing an ideal job of blending pop music and conventional music in a single. Her voice may be very distinctive so she goes to have a protracted profession forward of her.

GS: How have the occasions of 2020 affected your artwork and music?

JS: I added guitar to my arsenal as I all the time prefer to be constructing. In previous years I been too busy touring and on the highway dealing with enterprise to take the time to study a brand new instrument. So it has added an entire new component to my music. And like everybody else the variety of reveals has gone all the way in which performed and the digital performances has gone all the way in which up.

GS: Who’s your largest fan?

JS: My Momma I might say, and after that my kids. My pops is extra of a fan of my more durable music. He doesn’t just like the stuff that’s too smooth.

GS: Do you will have plans for reveals as soon as COVID restrictions have eased?

JS: Most positively, Suzette Amaya and I’ve been very lively for a few years and this previous few years have been very busy for us. Our workforce, Waniskawin, has been throughout North America spreading wellness [and] serving to individuals have an excellent time and neglect about their worries and concentrate on reaching targets. 

GS: Who did your ink? Inform me the story about considered one of your tattoos.

JS: I’ve some ink I’m extraordinarily happy with. Those that leap out and are available to thoughts when pondering of my tattoo life-style are performed by my late homeboy the legendary Booboo Negrete. I spent a variety of time in his store after I was residing in Los Angeles, and it was loopy, all of the A-list celebrities I seen stroll by way of the door. His dad, Freddy Negrete, is seen as a one of many founders of the smooth gray scale Chicano fashion, so I used to be excited to get inked up from him cuz me and booboo would all the time speak about how comparable our individuals are, and the way each of us got here from that Indigenous tribal background. He did a raven on my forearm and on my proper shoulder he banged out a joker from an previous set of enjoying playing cards. Jokers and clowns are sacred of their tradition, notably in LA avenue tradition, and the identical goes for the individuals of the Nice Plains. Ee have such an admiration for tricksters and sacred clowns.

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