Family comes first for North End rapper

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This article was published 08/09/2015 (3861 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For Hellnback, family obviously comes first.

The hip hop artist’s new album FOE = #FamilyOverEverything is nominated for Best Rap/Hip Hop CD and Best Album Cover Design at the Indigenous Music Awards, which will be handed out on Fri., Sept. 11 at MTS Centre.

Hellnback, a.k.a. North End resident Karmen Omeasoo, is a pioneer of the Native hip hop scene. A member of the Samson Cree First Nation in Alberta, Omeasoo is the co-founder of War Party and was later in Team Rez Official.

However, before FOE = #FamilyOverEverything, Omeasoo hadn’t released a record since Team Rez Official‘s 2008 album The World and Everything in It. Omeasoo said a renewed focus on family inspired his rap resurgence.

“There was a lot of time in my life where I wasn’t in love with music anymore,” said Omeasoo, 35. “I didn’t give up, but as a musician I had to wait until I got that inspiration again. I wasn’t really inspired by the scene at the time.

“I was going through my own personal demons. I catered to a lot of people who at the time weren’t catering to me, so when I started weeding out everything, it was my family that was there all the time. It was a big eye opener for me. Family Over Everything just became a personal hashtag.

“When I put my faith in my family and my love into my family, everything in my life got better. Everything got into focus. That’s the main reason behind (the album title), to show my appreciation for my family.”

The new album’s cover features a photo of Omeasoo’s one-year-old daughter Jaylin. Omeasoo said Jaylin was a pro during the photoshoot.

“She’s a natural,” said Omeasoo, who has four children — a teenage son in Alberta from a previous relationship, and a stepson and two daughters with his fiancé.

“She didn’t cry. Most kids tend to cry, but she was just sitting there playing. She’s just like her mom (Lisa Muswagon), who is a model and owner of Native Model Studio.”

Hellnback received some help on FOE = #FamilyOverEverything from Muswagon and the likes of Abstract Artform, MC Red Cloud, Crystle Lightning and Alberta producer Young Aspect, the latter known for his work with rapper Madchild of Swollen Members.

One to pay it forward, Omeasoo offers a 16 Bars Workshop, where he teaches Aboriginal youth and parents the basics of rap and song writing, as well as the history and the positivity of hip hop.

“I touch on the fact that most rappers aren’t gangsta,” Omeasoo said. “There’s a stigma to hip hop that you have to be a gangsta to be a rapper or you have to be hard. I bridge that gap. I let the kids and the parents know that it’s not all bad. There are whole communities and movements of positive hip hop, positive rap and positive messages. I tell them ‘Don’t let a couple bad apples ruin it for everybody.’”

Hellnback will perform at The Pink Party, the official Indigenous Music Awards after party, on Sept. 11 at 9 p.m. at the Metropolitan Entertainment Centre. Tickets are $25 at the door.

For more information on Hellnback, go to www.facebook.com/hellnback