Read the entire blog at http://www.myspace.com/thedrum402/blog/543879838 John Williams is Sisseton-Dakota and Chippewa. He started playing instruments in middle school and has since grown his musical talents to span over a wide-range of instruments. John is a founding member of the Native Reggae band Native Roots. Today, John is active in the band as their keyboard player. Native Roots promotes unity among all people. The band has won numerous awards and their dedication to their causes, as well as the Native content and themes, have helped them stand out amongst other Reggae bands. NAPT Production Assistant Tobias Grant (Omaha/Dakota/Cherokee/Dineh) is the nephew of John Williams and in this interview, they talk about John's knowledge of music, the members of Native Roots and their performance at the 2011 Miss Indian World banquet in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Read the entire blog at http://www.myspace.com/thedrum402/blog/544665830 Nake Nula Waun (Nah-Kay, New-Lah, Wah- OO) or NNW is a Rap/Hip-Hop group from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Central South Dakota. The name Nake Nula Waun is a traditional Lakota phrase which means “I am always ready, at all times, for anything.” This phrase was used to describe warriors before they went into battle. NNW members consist of Frank Waln, Thomas Schmidt (currently serving a bid in the Marines), Andre Easter and Kodi DeNoyer. NNW started a buzz on the Reservation when they began performing at youth events; from there they started recording their music. In 2010, Frank Waln was awarded Best Producer by the Native American Music Awards for producing NNW’s first album titled “Scars and Bars.” He was the youngest person to win the Nammy Award. In 2011, NNW won another Nammy Award for Best Hip-Hop Recording on behalf of the same album. NNW was motivated to compose their first album based on the group’s life experiences. In 2011, Baby Bash and Paul Wall visited the Rosebud Reservation to perform, NNW got the chance to share the stage with both Hip-Hop artists. NNW is gaining attention and continues to promote a substance free lifestyle. For more information about NNW, visit reverbnation.com/nakenulawaun. Production Assistant Tobias Grant (Omaha/Dakota/Dineh/Cherokee) talked with Frank about his group, his experience performing with Baby Bash and Paul Wall and NNW’s performance at the Native American Music Awards.

Read the entire blog at http://www.myspace.com/thedrum402/blog/545152681 Musician Ras K'dee (Pomo Tribe of California) is from the San Francisco Bay area. He is also co-founder of S.N.A.G. Magazine--Seventh Native American Generation--a non-profit organization that aims to work with Native youth and their struggles. K'dee creates opportunities for Native youth to demonstrate their creative skills through various forms of art, music and New Media. S.N.A.G. Magazine also hosts cultural events to promote Native American awareness and culture. K'dee and S.N.A.G. Magazine publish an annual issue featuring all of the past year's events and all proceeds are saved to fund the next project. One of S.N.A.G. Magazine's accomplishments is their bio-bus--an environmentally friendly bus that runs on bio-diesel. K'dee is the lead vocalist for Audiopharmacy--an unsigned Hip Hop collective. They have performed in venues across the globe including Germany, Japan and along the West Coast of the United States. Their music is available on MySpace and is a blend of various musical styles. Recently, Production Assistant Tobias Grant (Omaha, Dakota, Cherokee & Dineh) talked with Ras K'dee about his Pomo heritage, S.N.A.G. Magazine and Audiopharmacy.

View entire blog @ http://www.myspace.com/thedrum402#!/thedrum402/blog Lakota Jonez is Cherokee, Mohawk, and Lakota Indian. Born in Florida and grew up all over the east coast and Canada. She began performing at an early age, first in ballet, then writing, poetry, lyrics and finally music. Lakota wrote lyrics and poetry in high school and later found herself immersed in hip-hop music. Writing Hip Hop lyrics was like telling a story. Lakota then started turning lyrics into songs and thus began her career in music. Lakota Jonez won the 2009 Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Best Rap or Hip Hop Album and has co- written songs with various artists including rock and roll artist, Derek Miller and rock and roll band, Jesus Murphy. Lakota Jonez recently worked on a project for Gathering of Nations called The Golden Opportunity. The experiment is what can happen when students are given a small amount of money, a camera and how students choose to take small-scale actions and how those actions ripple out across their community and the world. Production Assistant Tobias Grant (Omaha, Dakota, Cherokee & Dineh) spoke with Lakota Jonez during the 2011 Gathering of Nations. Tobias and Lakota talk about her music, performing at Stage 49 and her plans for this year. For more information on Lakota Jonez and the Golden Opportunity, check out their websites below.

View entire blog at http://www.myspace.com/thedrum402#!/thedrum402/blog/543330742 Quese Imc is an award-winning Hip Hop emcee, independent music producer and cultural activist. Quese is a member of the Pawnee and Seminole Nations. Quese and his brother are founding members of Native Hip Hop group "Culture Shock Camp." In the beginning of his musical career, Quese struggled with his audience connecting to his music. Since then, his audience has changed with the times and Quese just released his album titled "Handdrums for Whiskey Bottles." Quese mixes his love for Hip Hop with his love for his people-creating a sound called "Native Hip Hop." His artistic style mixes the modern substance of freestyling, Hip Hop and Funk with strictly traditional values. Production Assistant Tobias Grant (Omaha, Dakota, Cherokee & Dineh) spoke with Quese Imc after his performance at Stage 49. Tobias and Quese talk about his music, his experience as a performer and his album "Handdrums for Whiskey Bottles." For more information about Quese Imc visit his web site at www.QueseImcMusic.com.