MOA is thrilled to be co-presenting this year’s virtual Native Hip Hop Festival, now in its 7th year, in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day. Festival director MC Derek Manik 1NDERFUL Edenshaw brings to a powerhouse lineup to the stage: Mattmac, Drezus, MZShellz, Christie Lee Charles, DJ Kookum. Hop online for a powerful evening of politics, activism, and story telling woven through each performance by award-winning musicians. This celebration of Indigenous culture and hip hop will be set in MOA’s Haida House, against a stunning backdrop of Northwest Coast art and architecture.

Bios

Mattmac is a blind Indigenous recording artist and music producer. Mattmac’s catchy melodies, gives his listeners a glimpse into the mind of a blind creative hoping to paint vivid sonic pictures of struggle, healing, celebrating love, family and life on the rez. His debut album Paradise has garnered more than 50,000+ streams on Spotify and hit the top 50 on the mediabase radio charts. Hailing from Garden Hill First Nation, Manitoba, Mattmac has been blind from birth. A fully self-taught artist, he first began to make beats and write songs when he was 13 years old, and later taught himself how to play piano and guitar.

Drezus has been a staple in the Indigenous music scene for over a decade. Born in Saskatoon and from the Muskowekwan and Cote First Nations, Drezus has opened up a new world that combines traditional Anishinaabe and Nehiyaw teachings with hip hop music and expression. Drezus won five Indigenous Music Awards from 2013 to 2015, was nominated for a Juno in 2009, and most recently won a MTV Video Music award.

Michelle Lee Runns AKA MzShellz is an emerging Cree hip hop artist and owner of Native by Nature Apparel hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan. Since relocating to British Columbia, the mother of four has been rocking stages from Vancouver to Albuquerque. MzShellz has taken her new platform through her music to send messages of strength to the youth and seeks to empower women and girls around the world. Her next album, Boss Lady, is currently in progress.

Cheyanna Kootenhayoo AKA Kookum is a DJ and multimedia maker from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, and Cold Lake First Nations, their maternal Denesuline traditional territory. Based out of Vancouver, Kookum has been making a name for their self across the country and is no stranger in the community. Kookum is an open format DJ inspired by EDM and hip hop music. Before the pandemic Kookum was touring nationally and internationally with the Snotty Nose Rez Kids, holding down a weekly DJ residency, facilitating videography and DJ workshops, operating sound and lighting for community dance parties, and working as a DJ mentor at a weekly East Van youth drop in program called The Hip Hop Drop.

Christie Lee grew up in a world of music and her focus has been on hip hop. As an emcee she incorporates her traditional knowledge and ancient hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ dialect. She is a full-time mother and a hip hop lover. Christie has performed as part of the BC Pavilion in Beijing China, WE Day, Fuse, Verses/Hullabaloo, Drum is Calling, TEDX distortion in Vancouver, the Junos with Arcade Fire, Whistler Snowboard Festival with Tribe Called Red, Bass Coast Music Festival, Nelson International Mural Festival, and Vancouver Folk Festival. She was the curator for Musqueam youth Claiming Spaces, Artistic advisor c̓əsnaʔəm: the city before the city, and Words Rising Birds Rising featured at the Roundhouse & Maplewood Nature House.