Speak/Sing Native™ Artist Archive

Supaman

Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation

Main Artist Image
Pronouns
He / Him
Overview

Christian Parrish Takes the Gun, known professionally as Supaman, is an Apsáalooke rapper and fancy war dancer who grew up in Crow Agency, Montana. The child of parents who struggled with alcoholism, Supaman spent part of his childhood in foster care before being raised by his mother. He began DJing in the 90s after hearing a Litefoot song (with the two touring together in 1999),In the fourth grade, Christian began dancing at powwows. While in elementary school, he began to write poetry and later began to rap. He related to rap music because he felt he was going through the same issues that most artists were rapping about. Taking the name "Supaman" at the spur of the moment in a DJ competition, he began rapping in a more original style until he had a spiritual encounter that told him to live a better lifestyle and rap about more meaningful and inspirational topics. In the spiritual encounter, Supaman said his creator "let [him] know [he] was to do everything on [his] own."

In 2003, Supaman founded the Native American hip-hop group Rezawrecktion, whose first album, It's Time, won a Native American Music Award in 2005. Since then, he has released four solo albums and received coverage and plaudits for the song "Why?" featuring Acosia Red Elk. In his hit track, "Prayer Loop Song", Supaman utilizes various instruments including the drum and the ute all while beatboxing, rapping, and remixing different Native tracks. His reasoning for the song and video was an audition tape for America's Got Talent. Alongside rapping, he also tours schools, where he educates students about Native American history and culture.  He performed on the live music MTV show Wonderland. In 2013, his music and his fancy dancing skills were featured on a float for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Supaman is known for performing his music while wearing his traditional fancy dance outfit. He started doing this by accident when he was forced to do his musical performance right after he had performed a fancy dance while at a show for a school. Supaman typically fuses spiritual concepts and ideas with his rap music. Supaman creates all of his albums by himself, doing everything from singing and writing the music to creating and designing the covers.

Supaman is a supporter of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, frequently visiting Standing Rock to perform and speak. He is featured alongside MAG7 in the Taboo video "Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL" which won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Social Message in 2017. He has also been nominated for and received multiple awards for his work as a DJ, singer, and rapper, and a fancy dancer including the Tuney Award which he won seven times, the Aboriginal Peoples Music Choice Award, and the North America Indigenous Music Award.

In January 2018, Supaman released his fifth album, Illuminatives. In May 2021, he released his album Medicine Bundle.

Biography


Credits

Taboo

Acosia RedElk

Ashley Hall

Miamouna Youssef

Honors and Awards
  • It's Time (2005, with Rezawrecktion)
  • Honest to God (2007)
  • Crow Hop (2008)
  • Deadly Penz (2009)
  • Gorilla (2013)
  • Illuminatives (2018)
  • Medicine Bundle (2021)
  • The Dream (2024)
Discography/Videography
  • It's Time (2005, with Rezawrecktion)
  • Honest to God (2007)
  • Crow Hop (2008)
  • Deadly Penz (2009)
  • Gorilla (2013)
  • Illuminatives (2018)
  • Medicine Bundle (2021)
  • The Dream (2024)
Instrument(s)

Vocals


No entries match your request.

- Supaman and Acosia Red Elk

Why - Supaman and Acosia Red Elk


Year: 2016
Venue:
Format: Official
Duration: 4:12

- Supaman

Alright - Supaman


Year: 2022
Venue:
Format: Official
Duration: 5:35

- Supaman

Supaman Delivers message of truth through hip-hop - Supaman


Year: 2020
Venue:
Format: Audio
Duration: 5:46

-

Miracle -


Year: 2018
Venue:
Format: Audio
Duration: 4:58
Additional Information:

Indigenous people continue to lead the fight against big corporations who only wish to profit at the expense of the people’s well being in the fight for clean water. In 2017 Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas pulled together some amazing Indigenous artist on a song and video titled “Stand Up” (For Standing Rock) which went on to win an MTV VMA award which veteran Native emcee Supaman was a part of. The fight continues in this hard hitting visual masterpiece where Supaman teams up with grammy nominated Maimouna Youssef from the Choctaw nation to inspire, educate, motivate, and encourage those still standing in the global fight to clean water. Mega talented emcee Supaman who is known for infusing Native culture and hip hop culture in his music, says “the video for Miracle featuing Maimouna Youssef is much more than a tribute to Water song. It holds so much more meaning and symbolism throughout, that the average viewer might miss. Right away you are presented with so many gems in the video. The women warriors dressed in the red elktooth dresses with war bonnets on (Shoshone dance, a victory dance) which are significant to Supaman’s people the Apsaalooke. The “red” gives tribute and awareness of the “Missing and murdered Indigenous women” which is an on going epidemic throughout the country. Supaman’s unapologetic verse flows over the self produced boom bap beat accompanied by the haunting violin sounds of Grammy award winning violinist Luisa Bastidas and paints a superb picture of family, unity, and prayer. Maimouna Youssef who was recently featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert with Black Thought and also featured on Sway in the Morning, delivers flawless harmonies on the hook and talks about “the spirit of the Ghost Dance......” a movement that was started in the 1800‘s by Paiute medicine man, Wovoka. This was a spiritual movement of dance promoting hope, unity, and peace amongst the people. In the video you see the beauty of this movement by the many different cultural dances uniting for the same cause and fighting oppression around the world. Maimouna displays her uncanny musical gifts of singing and rapping while taking us on an empowering unprecedented journey of resilience with her verse with lines like “we gave them liberty and they gave us slaughter, no land of the free, for my fore fathers”. All and all “Miracle” is a timely masterpiece which reminds us of and captures the resilient power and value of the Indigenous people. A voice that demands attention in this day and time.


Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation

also known as "Crow"

Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution (the Supremacy Clause)

“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”


References