Litefoot
Encyclopedia
Gary Paul Davis better known by his stage name Litefoot, is a Native American
rapper and the founder of the Red Vinyl record label
. He also portrayed Little Bear in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard
.
, California
. He was raised in Tulsa
, Oklahoma
and is of mixed Cherokee
and Chichimeca
(northern Mexican indigenous
) ancestry. He has lived in Seattle, Washington
since 1997. He is married to Carmen Davis, who serves as president of the Reach The Rez effort and is of the Makah, Yakama
, and Chippewa Cree
tribes. They have one son, Quannah.
, of Cherokee descent, would probably be the first), he is the first to do so while openly acknowledging his indigenous roots, calling his style of hip hop
Tribalistic Funk. The term was an invention by Litefoot, created to describe his type of music which was a hybrid mix of hip-hop from the Midwest and West Coast
with some influence of Dirty South style. Litefoot's early recordings were a search to find a mix of hip-hop and his own native culture. Litefoot, along with Dallas, Texas producer, Willie Fressh (aka "Big Will"), concocted Tribalistic Funk based on the tribal origins of Native Americans along with African Americans in the USA and the idea that there were so many parallels between Black street life and Native life.
He has won six Native American Music Awards
, his most recent for Artist of The Year.
Litefoot has also appeared in Hollywood films, such as The Indian in the Cupboard
(1995), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
(1997), Kull the Conqueror
(1997), and Adaptation
(2002), and several independent films, including 29 Palms (2002); Song Of Hiawatha (1997) as the titular role; and The Pearl (2000). He has also appeared on the television programs: CSI: Miami
, Family Law
, and Any Day Now.
Litefoot produces and hosts his own nationally distributed hip hop and R&B radio show called Reach The Rez Radio, which debuted in 2005. The program can be found at www.reachtherezradio.com and is aired weekly through Native Voice One Satellite Network. Litefoot produces several clothing lines the best known being the brand, "Native Style."
Litefoot annually spends months of his time working on various reservations across the United States and Canada. His most recent music and speaking tour was the "Reach The Rez Tour." This annual project lasted one year, 54,000 miles and 211 events across the United States. The Reach The Rez Tour will begin again in the Spring of 2007. Litefoot has released ten albums in the past twelve years. Litefoot's newest CD, Relentless Pursuit, was released in late 2008 and was his first to enjoy nationwide distribution.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
rapper and the founder of the Red Vinyl record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. He also portrayed Little Bear in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard
The Indian in the Cupboard (film)
The Indian in the Cupboard is a 1995 American fantasy film based on the children's book of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks. The story is about a boy who receives a cupboard as a gift on his ninth birthday...
.
Personal life
Litefoot was born Gary Paul Davis in UplandUpland, California
Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located at an elevation of 1,242 feet . As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:Upland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was raised in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and is of mixed Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and Chichimeca
Chichimeca
Chichimeca was the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to a wide range of semi-nomadic peoples who inhabited the north of modern-day Mexico and southwestern United States, and carried the same sense as the European term "barbarian"...
(northern Mexican indigenous
Indigenous peoples of Mexico
Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...
) ancestry. He has lived in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
since 1997. He is married to Carmen Davis, who serves as president of the Reach The Rez effort and is of the Makah, Yakama
Yakama
The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, or simply Yakama Nation , is a Native American group with nearly 10,000 enrolled members, living in Washington. Their reservation, along the Yakima River, covers an area of approximately 1.2 million acres...
, and Chippewa Cree
Chippewa Cree
The Chippewa Cree Tribe is a mixed group of Native Americans in Montana, among the last to come into the state. They are descended from Cree that had come south from Canada, and from Chippewa that had moved west from the Turtle Mountains in North Dakota....
tribes. They have one son, Quannah.
Career
Although Litefoot was not the first Native American to perform rap music (Melle MelMelle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
, of Cherokee descent, would probably be the first), he is the first to do so while openly acknowledging his indigenous roots, calling his style of hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
Tribalistic Funk. The term was an invention by Litefoot, created to describe his type of music which was a hybrid mix of hip-hop from the Midwest and West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
with some influence of Dirty South style. Litefoot's early recordings were a search to find a mix of hip-hop and his own native culture. Litefoot, along with Dallas, Texas producer, Willie Fressh (aka "Big Will"), concocted Tribalistic Funk based on the tribal origins of Native Americans along with African Americans in the USA and the idea that there were so many parallels between Black street life and Native life.
He has won six Native American Music Awards
Native American Music Awards
The Native American Music Awards , commonly known as the Nammys, are an awards program presented annually by The Native American Music Association & Awards, which recognizes outstanding musical achievement among Native Americans...
, his most recent for Artist of The Year.
Litefoot has also appeared in Hollywood films, such as The Indian in the Cupboard
The Indian in the Cupboard (film)
The Indian in the Cupboard is a 1995 American fantasy film based on the children's book of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks. The story is about a boy who receives a cupboard as a gift on his ninth birthday...
(1995), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts action film that was the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat, and was directed by John R. Leonetti, who had served as the cinematographer for the previous film...
(1997), Kull the Conqueror
Kull the Conqueror
Kull the Conqueror is a 1997 fantasy film about the Robert E. Howard character Kull starring Kevin Sorbo. It is a movie adaptation of Howard's Conan novel The Hour of the Dragon, with the protagonist changed to the author's other barbarian hero Kull...
(1997), and Adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
(2002), and several independent films, including 29 Palms (2002); Song Of Hiawatha (1997) as the titular role; and The Pearl (2000). He has also appeared on the television programs: CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, Family Law
Family law
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
, and Any Day Now.
Litefoot produces and hosts his own nationally distributed hip hop and R&B radio show called Reach The Rez Radio, which debuted in 2005. The program can be found at www.reachtherezradio.com and is aired weekly through Native Voice One Satellite Network. Litefoot produces several clothing lines the best known being the brand, "Native Style."
Litefoot annually spends months of his time working on various reservations across the United States and Canada. His most recent music and speaking tour was the "Reach The Rez Tour." This annual project lasted one year, 54,000 miles and 211 events across the United States. The Reach The Rez Tour will begin again in the Spring of 2007. Litefoot has released ten albums in the past twelve years. Litefoot's newest CD, Relentless Pursuit, was released in late 2008 and was his first to enjoy nationwide distribution.
Discography
- 1992 - "The Money" E.P.
- 1994 - Seein' Red
- 1995 - The Indian in the CupboardThe Indian in the Cupboard (film)The Indian in the Cupboard is a 1995 American fantasy film based on the children's book of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks. The story is about a boy who receives a cupboard as a gift on his ninth birthday...
- 1996 - Good Day To Die
- 1997 - Mortal Kombat Annihilation
- 1997 - Kull the Conquerer
- 1998 - The Clown Kutz
- 1998 - The Life & Times
- 1999 - Red Ryders Vol. 2
- 1999 - Rez Affiliated
- 1999 - The Lite Years 1989–1999 - The Best of Mr. Foot
- 2001 - Tribal Boogie
- 2002 - The Messenger
- 2003 - Native American Me
- 2004 - Redvolution
- 2008 - Relentless Pursuit
External links
- Official website
- Litefoot at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Official website of the Reach The Rez Project featuring Litefoot
- Official website of Reach the Rez Radio