Lakota, Dakota rapper releases new album

RAPID CITY, S.D. — When Talon Bazille Ducheneaux takes the stage, he dons stark white facepaint with black lightning bolts beneath his eyes, an eye-catching display but one that elicits a variety of reactions.

It represents who the Cheyenne River Lakota and Crow Creek Dakota artist is. The white, a symbol of his spirit and the wakiyan (lightning) representing emotion and behind his neck are seven black dots representing the seven generations before him.

“These generations of people are the reason I’m here today,” he said. “(The reason) I can speak, I can do my dance without being arrested… I have that freedom because so many people fought for me.”

Bazille released his newest album, “Creator Bless the Underground,” on May 20. Just like his previous work, it pays homage to his ancestors, to his community and calls attention to issues facing Native youth.

“With this project I didn’t hold back,” he said. “I wanted to say everything, I hope I did.”

From his home studio in Rapid City, South Dakota, and the Oglala Lakota Artspace on the Pine Ridge Reservation, he crafts catchy beats and writes raps that depict contemporary life as a Lakota and Dakota person.

The album features 16 different songs, but one that really stands out is “Like 38,” he said.

The song is dedicated to the Dakota 38+2, the largest mass execution in American history, where 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato, Minnesota, on Dec. 26, 1862, following the Dakota Uprising. Two years later, two Dakota leaders, Shakopee and Medicine Bottle, were also hanged, which is where “+2” comes from.

Many of Bazille’s relatives participate in the yearly ride from Crow Creek to Mankato to honor the lives lost that day, his goal with the song was to channel that energy and “go as hard as they do.”

“I didn’t just want to say what the history was,” he said. “I wanted to express what we’re going through today.”

The song begins with a sample of a man describing the hours before the 38 Dakota men were executed, then it transitions into a catchy chorus describing on-

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