SPIRAL

Hip hop is at the core of all my pursuits, so having that cultural direction has me gravitating towards rap conventions both musically and behaviorally. I sort out my life through writing rap lyrics, but I do make a concerted effort to write songs, melodies, bridges, etc. Scoring has afforded me much more musical expansion as well. 

"CURSIVE JET STREAMS". That song encapsulates every musical interest of mine. Fully realized activity on that joint.

I had ube for the first time after a show in Seattle, that was quite revelatory. But recently a fan brought me cookies from a spot in Culver City called "The Very Best Cookie in the Whole World" and wow that place is aptly named. Those cookies were angelic. Food after a show is ritualistic at this point, especially since I can't eat before I perform because of nerves. Performing on a full stomach is buttcheeks. 

Tyler, the Creator. I was 12-13 years old when my friends Gus and Devon introduced me to his music and my entire life perspective changed for the better. Besides not hitting puberty yet I wasn't doing anything with my life at that point and probably wouldn't have excelled in much if it wasn't for Tyler's first two albums. I'm a super geek goofy goober fan of him and everyone else who came up during that time — Frank, Earl, etc. Tyler's style, demeanor and devotion to music and creation is so electric and defiant of how some trends persist in entertainment. He and Odd Future did it themselves off the strength of their skills and mindset which is something I can relate to. When I started music I felt alienated from other artists, particularly Native artists, and still do, which is something he dealt with approximate to other Black artists. I operate with a high level of confidence that I owe a lot to him. Aside from the extrinsic components, I just love his music so much. He gives such a fuck. His choices are exhilarating to me and I'm so grateful to exist in the same universe as the albums he's created. 

Much of what I wear has been gifted to me — the head scarf is from my friend Kelly. He's Navajo and that's how they get down. Overall I do like headwear though. 

Make what you want, not what you consider is expected of you. Make art as a human before considering your race, gender, sexuality, class, etc. Just get freaky with it and you'll find freedom. 

Expressing myself through music came naturally, but honing that into songwriting took awhile. I was moved to make music that I hadn't heard before so in order to do so I had to diligently study the artform. The process for me right now is a lot about subtraction. Getting the words and music down to their essential components, stripping away the fat in favor of sharpness. I'm not there yet in terms of the music I want to be making so it's a continual journey to write the best songs for me. 

Probably. They're all my family at this point, so rarely when I see them are we working on music. But I just linked up with KP (Black Belt) and we got some ideas out. My goal is to work with more artists, I've been far too insular up to this point in my career.

I'm not entirely sure about the organization at large, but some of the profits from the shirts are going to an upcoming subsection of their org that's specifically focused on supplying resources to Two Spirit folks. I'm grateful to belong to and be uplifted by many different communities across Indian Country, so any time I can give back I do. 

Potentially! So many fans have communicated to me how much they love that moisturizer – all praises to Ari and Quw'utsun' Made, the company that I collaborated with on those. The dichotomy of releasing skincare products in tandem with an album called STANKFACE STANDING SOLDIER makes me smile. I love lotions // perfumes so I can see myself doing more of that in the future. 

Listen to my album STANKFACE STANDING SOLDIER. Come out to a show, buy some merch. Recommend me places to tour. Or just make me stuff, I adore gifts from fans. Don't be creepy though. 

I don't know who told me this or where I read it, but the quote "there's always a 'movie' before the movie" has proven extremely salient in my career. Basically, there's always a story arc and main conflict in regards to shooting logistics before you actually begin filming. To me that's integral to the process. An actor is gonna cancel, the location fell through, the computer you were gonna edit the video on crashed — all of which has happened to me this year alone. That's a challenging part of directing because it's ongoing problem solving on a tight budget. Things going awry test and prepare you for what to expect when it comes to directing, and thankfully I'm usually in a meditative state when we finally make it to set. Once you're there, it's just about being very kind to your collaborators and the creative intuition at play. The most rewarding component to directing used to be capturing the exact image that I had in mind, but now it's shifted to the unexpectedness of what comes to either me or my crew on set. Finding the creative flow is so fun and rejuvenates my spirit. 

It's from one of my favorite books of all time, 4: Fantastic Novels by Daniel Pinkwater. There's a blurb in the book where this character goes to a library and reads about a Jewish settler back in the old days whose benevolent adoption into a Native tribe inspires the creation of buffalo pastrami.  I'm mixed, part Lakota and Romanian Jew — I felt wholly represented reading that passage again in my adulthood. Buffalo Pastrami is literally one of my LLC's now.