the POWER of YOUTH ACTIVISM
Perreault Magazine - 24 -
There is “emcee-ing,” which is the rapping, which is the lyricism, which is the poetry of it, the words of this culture. There is the beat boying, the dancing, the deejaying. Those are all being a part of it so immersing myself in the hip hop culture has been one of the most important things for me as an artist. I think it’s separate for sure from the Aztec heritage.
I think my culture on my father’s side was something that I was born into. Hip hop I had to find. Both of my parents have loved music and played every type of music from rock n’ roll to reggae, and my dad loves metal. So finding hip hop was just like my gateway.
JP: Do you find yourself bringing aspects of your Aztec cultural tribal dance and movements into your hip hop performances and expression?
X: Not really. I think that it’s a different thing because for me, the entire time I was being raised, learning about the culture, we dance in public sometimes, and my dad used to travel around and dance in different schools. And it was not for entertainment. It was not a show. It was to teach people about our culture and our way of life, never about entertainment, never about doing this for a show. The Aztec dance is a very sacred traditional dance that was ceremonial. Hip hop dance has similar roots, I guess, as it was meant to bring people together.