Published 12/20/07

Rappers share positive message with Tulalip youth

by Beckye Randall

The gym at the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club reverberated with the sound of hip-hop beats December 6 and 7 during the Tulalip Tribes’ Spirit Jam. Organized by a coalition of police, community and school leaders, the event was an effort to reach out to native teens who are being lured into gang activity.

“We don’t have the same problems that big cities do, but we want to address the gang issue before it gets out of hand,” said Diane Prouty, office manager of the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club.

Tribal leaders, like communities everywhere, are struggling to effectively communicate a message of hope to their teens. Duane Garvais, a detective on the Tulalip police force, had the answer: give kids what they like—hip-hop, rap and urban attitudes—with a dose of Christian love.

Tulalip board member Gloria (Toby) Jones was excited about the idea and championed the event to the tribes. With tribal support, Spirit Jam evolved into a two-day event filled with break dancing, Christian rap, tribal prayers and songs, and a basketball game.

Approximately 60 students from Tulalip Heritage and Marysville-Pilchuck high schools participated in the voluntary off-campus activities. Funded by the Boys & Girls Club and the Tulalip Tribes, the program could convey a Christian message without violating school district policies.

Professional performers, all of whom are former gang members and drug users who found new purpose through Christian hip-hop, were flown in from New York City, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Tennessee. Between sets the rappers, with names like Scoob Serious, Jah-Will and Phat Cat, talked to the teens about their violent past and subsequent acceptance of a more spiritual life.

When the program began around 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, the Tulalip teens seemed a little hesitant. Sitting on bleachers in a brightly-lit gym with dozens of adults standing around, it was difficult to get into a party mood. A group of “bBoy” break dancers hit the floor, warming up the kids with impressive moves and driving rhythms, and when the first rap artist took the stage the bleachers emptied as the teenagers crowded around the roped-off performance area.

With urban bravado, the artists introduced themselves. “I’m S-E-I-Z to the E,” said the Tacoma rapper Seize, “and I ain’t ashamed to believe, I ain’t ashamed to dance.” Seize and his partner SLOC (Show the Love of Christ) talked about their destructive past as gang members in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood. “Bein’ a believer is fun,” Seize assured the Tulalip youth.

SLOC said his gang activity landed him in prison. “Now I rap for God,” he explained.

The mission of the event was to encourage interaction between the Tulalip teens and the reformed gangsters. Informal discussions at meals, between shows, and during the Friday night basketball game did just that.

Two local teens, Eagle Bear Jones and Kurtis Johnson, are part of Flowin’ Crew, a hip-hop group that performed at the basketball game. “We make songs about the res, about Tulalip life,” Jones explained.

The Friday night performance would be their first major gig, and the teens were excited about it. “More fans means more enthusiasm, more excitement,” said Johnson.

Overall, organizers were pleased with the results of the first-time event. “We got a foot in the door,” said Prouty. “Stories were told, there was lots of interaction and we hope the message got to the right kids.”

As Prouty said, “If we reached one, that’s all that counts.”