Native Music
Buggin’s Flow
Buggin Malone is a 30 year-old
rapper from the Oneida Nation and
Potawatomi and Ho-Chunk people.
He has been on the underground rap
circuit for 12 years, but released his
professional debut in 2003 with Birth
of a Warrior. This two-time Nammy
nominated and Indian Summer Music
Award nominee raps about the spiritual and political parts of life.
How did you become about singing?
It happened when I was incarcerated as a juvenile. There was always
another guy rapping in jail. I was 15
years old when I started to get into
the rap game.
How did you come up with your stage
name? Malone is my last name.
Buggin came about because I was
always trippin’ out and stressing back
in the days. Buggin is a rap term for
“fool” or “actin’ a fool” When I first
started rapping I was known just as
Buggin.
Tell me about your
experience as being nominated for a
Nammy for best rap/hip hop category.
It was really good and exciting. I told
friends before I got nominated that I
wanted to go to the Nammy’s. When
I saw my name on New Year’s Eve in
2004 I was just emotional and excited. It was a great experience seeing
famous Indian people. My higher goal
is to go to the Grammy’s.
What are your views on violence and
issues involving Native Americans?
I talk a lot about it in my music. I say
together we stand. As Indians we will
only be defeated by ourselves. We
need to try to focus. We are Warriors
not gangsters. We need to respect
women and ourselves. We are to be
protectors and providers.
Is there a message you trying to put
out there? Definitely. We need to be
cultural and traditional Indian people.
We need to know where we stand as
people. Our reservations are
being cultivated with drugs,
alcohol, and gangs. We got to
know where we come from,
who we are, and what we
stand for. People will be led
by the media. If kids see it
then they will do it. One of us
Warriors need to stand up and
say no. I believe there are two
paths. One path is the right
way and the other path is the
wrong way. We need to start
being good role models.
What else do you rap about?
Spiritual and diversity. I don’t
rap about street and dance
like mostly everybody else.
I am pretty unique with my
music. I do not rap about
disrespectful things. I rap how
it was growing up as a kid.
There are two sides to me;
political and spiritual.
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Do you have any favorite influences
to your music? My favorite producers are Dr. Dre. and Kanye West. I
grew up with musical influences like
Motown, Classic Rock, and Country
Western.
Is it your intention to put a message
about AIM and politics out there? My
message with Leonard Peltier is that
it was a wrongful injustice treatment
with government. I feel we are still
trying to fight for freedom. I don’t try
to focus on drugs, alcohol, how many
women I can get, Cadillacs, or kids
killing each other. I try to focus on
poverty, HIV, and Canadian reserves.
Hip Hop is a tool. It is a way to speak
to kids. Kids don’t listen to preachers,
but they listen to Hip Hop.
I grew up with people that were AIM
members. They fought for sovereignty. My message is “Don’t kill the
messenger.” I was raised with family
members who were involved with
A.I.M. and there are people out there,
who feel either you love the movement or they hate the movement.
People try to say Abraham Lincoln
was a good man because he was
against slavery. United States has
his-story and we as Native Americans have our-story. In our history
Abraham Lincoln walked 38 Native
Americans on Christmas Eve in a
winter storm to their death. He took
them somewhere and hung them.
Do you have any advice for the people out there? My people stay strong,
keep your minds focus, get your education. The only way we can stand
and beat is with our education. Go to
school and stay in school. Together
we stand, united we fall. Play it safe.
Practice abstinence or protection as
HIV is very alive. It is our duty to tell.
You need to remember where we
come from and who we are.