Skandalz scoops award nomination

Local hip hop artist Will E. Skandalz, also known as Satehoronies McComber, has made the list of nominees for the International Indigenous Hip Hop Awards with his song Rez Dawgs featuring Cree-Naskapi artist Kong hitting the “Collaboration of the Year” category.

“To get this in the collaboration category is something special, because these days I’ve been basing myself off of nation-to-nation relations,” McComber said. “Seeing the Crees and the Mohawks together in a song is something that I cherish. I’m building these bridges, sharing my stories, and blending them with theirs.”

McComber has known Steve Einish, the mind behind Kong, for some time, but this song marked their first formal collaboration.

“At the beginning of my career I was very much a solo artist. I wanted to be like Snoop Dogg, I thought ‘I’m going to be the biggest thing ever to come out of this place,’ I had that kind of mentality,” McComber said. “But now I realize, nations were supposed to build continuously, together.”

Much of the music video was filmed on Einish’s home territory, in the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, featuring sweeping drone shots of the area.

“Our metaphor for Rez Dawgz is that basically, each human being that lives in any territory is their own kind of rez dog, in the sense that we have to fend for our own,” he said. “The rez dog is in us. We’re not just human beings, we’re also beasts.”

The visuals and lyrics harken back to a time before the laws and colonization of today, McComber said, adding that the “sole intent from day one was to ruffle feathers.”

“I wanted to put those harsh realities out there,” he said.

One of McComber’s lyrics states: “There’s no privilege in a band card, it’s just a number/I love my whole family, but I ain’t no McComber.”

“It’s about even our last names, having English names, and understanding that the band card is not some kind of special card that’s going to get our freedoms back,” he said of the lyric.

Einish and McComber performed the track together at the Innu Nikamu Festival earlier this summer to a crowd of around 16,000, right before the legendary Flo Rida.

Einish, who is also nominated in the “Best Male Hip Hop Artist” category, said that the experience of collaborating with McComber and releasing more of his own music has been a thrill, particularly after the uncertain times of pandemic lockdowns.

“I had no revenue for two years and I really considered quitting and going into another profession. I know people in Montreal who just sold their company, sold their equipment, and did something else,” he said. “I came close to that. But what gave me hope was just freestyling and having fun with my homies.”

Writing has been a vehicle for Einish to express himself, and he hopes that the recognition that comes with these nominations can inspire future hip hop artists across Turtle Island. He said much of his best work, like his popular song In Da Rez, comes from working through his emotions from back when he was incarcerated, and he hopes other artists who may have gone down similar paths can see music as a form of release.

“When I started to write again, my creative juices were flowing and I felt rejuvenated,” he said. “I never thought I would reach that far.”

The Indigenous Hip Hop Awards can be voted on by the public at indigenoushiphopawards.com/vote. Voting closes on November 1, and individuals can make one vote in each category every 24 hours.

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