Music Make You Lose Control

LITEFOOT- The spoken interludes characteristic of rap music sometimes reveal a more frank portrayal of the blunt views or situations of the artist. In ӀInterlude- The Apple,Ԁ we see that Litefoot has adapted himself to a culture of rapper-style thugs/thug wannabes who speak with hood vocabularies. For example, one man questions the man he dubs рthe appleҀ if he his Ӏplayer hatingԀ on Litefoot for not spreading the wealth. He makes this accusation, and then tells рthe appleҀ he should try to provide for himself, Ӏlike our ancestors used to do,Ԁ- a serious call out and revealing of how important the cultural history still is to contemporary CherokeeҀs. The accuser also gives credit to Litefoot for his service on reservations and therefore helping in the community, demonstrating value.

I will not lie, I can jam to some of LitefootҀs beats. рConcrete SoldierҀ, рVision QuestҀ, and рDedicatedҀ are my main jams. I find рConcrete SoldierҀ particularly gangster as well as telling. The title in itself is metaphorical of the contemporary Cherokee adapting to the changing time and current world of asphalt city-living and new technology. I believe this song contains a Cherokee perception of masculinity seen in the repeated focus upon being a soldier (rolling strapped), having Cherokee goddesses, and certain lyrical mentions of pride and courage such as Ӏquick to earn a stripe, quick to take your life,Ԁ In noting battle strategies such as рcusters last standҀ in the lyrics, as well as mentions of burial places and chieftains, Litefoot shows us the CherokeeҀs proud heritage and culture as well as being knowledgeable about historical events.

OTHER-Much of the contemporary music we have been given to listen to, including Tori AmosҀ рHome on the RangeҀ, the Raiders рIndian ReservationҀ, рReservation BluesҀ, and some others give off the perception of a depressed state of affairs for the Cherokee suffering through the land-stealing, multiple relocations, and present poverty and attempt to rebuild. On the other hand, The Muskogee рWayland GrayҀ and рFarron CulleyҀ are awesome tribal examples of calls and call back and tribal music from the past which are a great look into traditional Native American culture that give a whole new spin on the nation, and help support the notion that the nation is still strong and reviving if this music has been recorded and preserved (therefore balancing out the depressing songs at least somewhat).