Red Honey Magazine 2013 Archive Edition | Page 38

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. 38 www.redhoneymag.net Archive Edition 2013 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.