Interview with Tall Paul

Minneapolis was founded on Wahpekute and Mdewakanton land following the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, a treaty that the US government soon violated, leading to the tragic Dakota War of 1862. (“Minneapolis” combines the Dakota word for water, “mni,” with the Greek “polis” or city.) Minneapolis’s present-day indigenous community plays a vital role in the city’s cultural life, and no discussion of music in Minneapolis would be complete without considering indigenous artists. We had the privilege of interviewing Ojibwe/Oneida rapper and activist Tall Paul, who spoke with us about the artists he admires most within Minneapolis’s music scene, including I Self Devine, Metasota, Freeze, Greg Rease, Wahwahtay Benais, and Thomas X.
You can learn more about Tall Paul’s music during the conference through Dr. Alexa Woloshyn’s presentation , “From Minneapolis to Obishikokaang: Critiquing Settler States and Celebrating (Queer) Indigeneity in the Land-Based Musical Practices of Tall Paul and Melody McKiver.” The full program is available at www.american-m...
In recognition of the contributions made by indigenous artists to Minneapolis, we (Louis and Dan) encourage SAM members to donate to indigenous arts organizations. Minneapolis-based Migizi “nurtures the development of Native American youth in order to unleash their creativity and dreams;” their brand new building burned during the uprising following George Floyd’s murder. You can find a donate link at their website, migizi.org.
Tall Paul is represented by Dream Warriors Management, founded by Tanaya Winder. If you’d like to make a donation to support the Dream Warriors Scholarship, which encourages youth from across Indian Country to pursue their artistic dreams, contact dreamwarriorsmgmt [at] gmail [dot] com.