Your future, our focus
POWELL, Wyoming —Supaman, a hip hop artist and champion fancy dancer, returns to Powell for a free performance at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Nelson Performing Arts Center Auditorium.
A member of the Apsaalooke Nation, Supaman was given the name Christian Takes Gun Parrish on the Crow Reservation in Montana he calls home. But he’s in demand across America and abroad as Supaman, an artist known for powerful and inspirational lyrics, energetic dancing and a message of hope imparted from the crossroads of music and culture, tradition and change.
Not long ago, with a record label contract in hand and a busy tour schedule far from Montana, Supaman found himself headed down a rocky road as a human being. He says a self-examination changed his path. He walked away from the record label to return to the reservation with a new message.
That message comes from the unlikely intersection where humor and hope can speak for both Native American and urban hip-hop cultures.
Suzy Esposito, in a March 13, 2014, story for MTV Iggy, said Supaman “infuses the best of the ’90s New York hip-hop style with auditory collages that reflect the rich heritage of the Apsaalooke people.
“Alongside samples of Biggie Smalls, Supaman envelopes his verses in layers of sound, like drums, bells, and even bird calls. Spitting clever wordplays with a gritty delivery, he skips and jumps from quip to quip, inducing both laughter and thought-provoking reflections on issues like racism and drug abuse. But he’s not afraid to reveal his sensitive side, whether it’s by inviting a choir of children to sing on “LiL Love,” or by praising God, his wife and kids. He may bust some hard-hitting bars, but he’s as much a humble family man as he is Supaman.”
Nicklodean is working with Supaman to produce a film of his life on the road as a Native artist. It will include his trip last year down New York City streets as a select dancer in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
A regular on the awards circuit, he has traveled to the podium to accept a Native American Music Award, North American Indigenous Image Award, seven Tunney Awards and the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award for best video. He’s also received the Magic City Music Award for best rap act and was voted MTV’s new Artist of the Week.
His video “Prayer Loop Song” has received more than a million views since it was posted in February 2014.
With a firm hold still on his roots, Supaman is also a champion fancy dancer who travels the powwow circuit extensively throughout the United States and Canada. He’s a champion clown dancer and flute player as well.
Supaman’s performance is sponsored in Powell by the Northwest College Native Ways Center.
