Julian B. 

In 1992, at the 25th annual gathering of the American Indian Movement (AIM), a 20-year-old hip-hop artist, drummer and writer caught the attention of Clyde Bellecourt and other AIM leaders. His name was Julian B. Onstage with John Trudell and Floyd Red Crow Westerman, he beautifully expressed his unusual gift, and the crowd went wild. Recalls the musician, "It was the first time I had a realy cool acceptance."

What Bellecourt recognized in Julian B. was his remarkable ability to communicate with all Native age groups, especially youth. Julian's first CD, Once Upon a Genocide, and his soon-to-be-released second disk address the primary concerns of his generation.

"Hip-hop is about what's happening in our communities, where we are right now, and where we need to go mentally and spiritually," he says. "Hip-hop is about getting your own mind in check. It's about making the connection with what you do - with the stories, the songs, and the dances that have been passed down from generation to generation. When I'm onstage, I feel and act out what I'm saying with my hands and feet. Everything you do in that way is sacred to Indian people. For me, the term for that is hip-hop."

"The gift comes from your heart," Julian continues. "It's about sharing ideas." Today, along with doing projects on other artists' albums, he is working with high school students as a prevention specialist in the Denver public schools. He sees this work as an extension of his musical enterprises. As he likes to say to his students, "When you are creating things - when your are using your own mind - that is where the gift is, and that is where the battle is won." 

by Charlete Teters (Spokane) Copyright © 1998 by Indian Artist Magazine

Once Upon A Genocide