1st Native American Rap Artist Performs at Soaring Eagle

Patricia Ecker

9/21/2000 12:00:00 AM

Native American rap artist Litefoot made music his tool to motivate minors at a recent concert.

"Have you asked the creator what he wants you to do?" asked Litefoot to the few dozen Native youth he invited up on stage with him during a motivational segment of his performance. "If you haven't asked him what he wants you to do, you're wasting your time."

Litefoot performed his own Native-style rap at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort's Entertainment Hall on August 5.

Litefoot, from the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the first Native American rap artist. He is also an award winning actor, motivational speaker and founder of five successful corporate endeavors including Red Vinyl Records which produced his first album released in 1992 called The Money.

"I was given a vision as to what I'm suppose to do with my life," said Litefoot. "I didn't push it off. I accepted it, and when I began walking that road, I think it put me up on things a lot quicker than most people.

"Generally, I think it takes people until they're a lot later in their years when they finally start taking responsibility to walk those roads. When I first agreed to do that responsibility, things started to come to me at a young age. Now, I feel older than my age because of the things I've accomplished already, and because of the things that have been put upon me to do."

Two time winner of Rap Artist of the Year from the Native American Music Awards, Litefoot travels across Indian Country sharing his high-energy rapping. He poetically expresses his thoughts and feelings and tales of Reservation reality set to a beat.

"When I write my lyrics, I write from experience," stated Litefoot. "I write about things that I've gone through-from my point of view-my philosophies about whatever it is that I think."

In his album "Good Day to Die," released in 1996, there were a lot of political issues addressed, according to Litefoot.

"I stated some of my views about Indian Country, and why it's always been like that," stated Litefoot. "I was stating some issues about where we really are in Indian Country, and it addressed a lot of issues about the past.

"Some people asked, �Why do you keep talking about the past? The past is the past.' But, that's a lot of B. S. If we don't know where we've been, then you can't know where we're at. If we don't know where we're at, then how will we know where we're going?"

He said he wants to empower Native youth to make positive decisions regarding their futures by upholding his status as a substance-free Native American role model. He sends a message of cultural pride and strength.

"There's still a little bit of me that holds out some of the personal stuff, because I have a family now," Litefoot explained. "It's so much drama being me. At the level that I'm at right now, here in Indian Country, it's difficult to deal with some of the people who show their emotions in negative ways.

"I know, that I signed up for this job. My family-in a way-has to by being my family. But they didn't necessarily choose to walk that road. They're on this road, because I'm on it.

"I want my personal life to be my personal life. I want to keep that for my family, because I give so much of myself to this side."

The demands of career, businesses, community activities and now family have Litefoot constantly reevaluating his choice of what to spend his time on and how much attention he wants to give to it.

"I'm a workaholic," he said. "Sometimes, I go all day, and I don't eat because I'm so wrapped up in working. I don't want to get caught slipping or in a situation where the Creator puts an opportunity in front of me, and I'm not ready to handle it. It's kind of like a self-imposed fear. I don't ever want to be less than 100 percent.

"The hardest part about what I do is feeling like I'm being hated for what I stand for. The work and the struggle I can deal with. I feel, sometimes, that people don't want me to talk about being drug and alcohol-free. I've heard that some of the parents of the kids I spoke to feel like asses because they're not."

As a highly recognized successful Native personality, he has also been victim to negative attention as well as the positive. He said that was the hardest part of being involved in show business.

"I don't understand how people can hate for no reason but just spread venom," stated Litefoot. "Sitting at my computer at two in the morning, it's difficult reading all that negative stuff.

"I don't go looking for it. Upset fans send it to me, and it bothers me because I don't want anybody to-I guess-not like me," he said laughing. "I don't want that. I try so hard to make it the other way."

Litefoot made his major motion picture debut in July 1995 as the star of the Paramount/Columbia film Indian in the Cupboard. He was honored by the First Americans in the Arts' Best Actor award. He received another Best Actor award in 1996, for his performance in the Universal Pictures film Kull, The Conqueror.

"I'm doing all my movies under my name now," said Litefoot. "Litefoot will only be for rapping. When you see my movie issue it will say in the credits G. Paul Davis. It won't say Litefoot."

This is the first time he has publicly announced his name change. The reason for it, he stated, is simply a decision he made because of the politics in Hollywood. He also desired to pass the legacy of his name to his son who shares part of his "new" stage name.

"I realized that in Hollywood I've got to fight a different way," said Litefoot. "It just seems like it's the small things that open up doors. Hollywood is still blind as to who we [Native people] are. You got to play their game a little bit so you can represent, so you can get in their house. They don't know what you're going to do, but once you get in there, you can start rearranging the furniture."

Litefoot's upcoming film is entitled, The Pearl which stars Academy Award® winner Richard Harris. The film is based on John Steinbeck's novel and is tentatively scheduled for release in the summer of 2001.

Although Litefoot said he would like to pursue roles not necessarily based on his Native heritage, he chose to take this role as a Native American in a fishing village set in the year 1927. He auditioned for the role because of the content of the script and the opportunity to work with the legendary actor.

"I don't want to go in on acting jobs that are just written Native," said Litefoot. "I told my agent if it's a doctor on ER or film where the guy is a bank robber, put me in on it. I want to go and do roles that are about being a person first and being what race you are second.

"I think Black people are looked at like that. Asian and Latino people are looked at like that, now. They can be whatever. If they are a doctor in a film, no one questions what the heck a Mexican doctor's doing in a film."

Litefoot also received the Best Actor award from the American Indian Film Institute for his role as Hiawatha in the Canadian Showtime release the Song of Hiawatha. He also directed and produced all his music videos as well as write all the scripts.

"Look to the creator," stated Litefoot. "I can't sit here and be arrogant and egotistical about what I've done in my career. I did it only through the help of the creator.

"I can't tell people what to do. It's your place to go be humble before the creator, and let the creator work in your life. If you do that, then you're going to be happy. If you don't, you're going to hate your life and die miserable. That's about as simple as I can put it."

One can visit www.redvinyl.com for more information on Litefoot or email litefoot@redvinyl.com to send him a message.