By: Tanya Bailey
March 02, 2009
 
Toronto Music Scene’s hip hop contributor Tanya Bailey had the chance to talk to Toronto-based Doug Plex Bedard, an aboriginal hip hop artist and host of a radio show on Aboriginal Voices Radio.  He’s helping to bring Aboriginal voices to the forefront through his love for hip hop and radio waves.

Tell me a bit about you?
I was raised by my grandparents in Edmonton, Alberta. My parents were still in high school when I was born, but I keep telling myself that I was planned pregnancy. My mother is Ojibwe from the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba. My father is Ukrainian and Romanian. I have two brothers and a sister. I am the oldest.

What do roots and culture mean to you?
I don't think I can give and actual definition of "Roots and Culture," but I think that it's important for each of us to embrace our heritage and be proud of our background. I had a hard time accepting who I was in my early teens based on the amount of racism that I was exposed to. It wasn't always directed at me necessarily, but to aboriginal people in general. I think it really made me hold back as far as creativity and it took years for me to finally share my ideas with others, because I always felt less than. Mankind needs to be more accepting of each other, because we are basically all the same. Love and hate is the only thing that separates us really.

Lets talk about The Plex show.  What is it about?
In December 2007, I was hired by the Aboriginal Voices Radio Network to produce, host and promote a weekly three-hour hip hop show. The show started in Toronto and was scheduled to be broadcast in four other cities within six months. The station had new management and was in a rebuilding stage, but it didn't take long to attract attention once we went national. The primary goal in the beginning was to promote First Nations, Metis and Inuit artists in Canada and the U.S.

After a few months, we started to incorporate music from artists with indigenous roots, whether they were from Australia, Peru, Columbia, Canada, Grenada or Haiti, etc. Within the first year, we were nominated "Best Radio Program" for three different awards shows and managed to take one of them home. I listen to many different genres and I feel I can easily identify what's good and what's not. I think I play music with integrity.

As an aboriginal artist, what connected you to "hip hop"
Hip hop incorporates so many different elements of other music. It used to be because of sampling, but now it's even in the flavor that each artist brings to hip hop. You can hear a bit of blues, soul, country or pop influence behind specific hip hop songs. Being someone who listens to everything, hip hop is more inviting when it incorporates various elements.
I also think most aboriginal people can relate to the environment that most hip hop artists grew up amongst. That lifestyle is so close to what we know and that makes it more appealing.

You have an upcoming CD called Brainstorm, how has the process been?
The CD is set for release in March through New Leaf Entertainment. The creative process was wonderful, because I got to work with a lot of talented artists to enhance the listening experience. Being able to work with artists of high calibre helps give a sense of validity to what you are doing. The songs are reflective of experiences I've had in my life. Some songs contain views of the world through my eyes with a little bit of sarcasm to offer my own brand of humor. I think it's hard to pinpoint the exact nature of my album, because it's so diverse and there are 20 tracks on it.

Tell me about your role in the group Won18.
Won18  refers to the avenue (118 Ave) that connected the members. We spent the better part of a decade travelling and doing shows together, but we all had our personal lives to contend with and in most cases, they collided with everyone's agenda. I started taking music more seriously in 2005, after seeing that the music doesn't just work for you, you actually have to work for the music.  I moved to Toronto and I was able to establish myself fairly quickly, due to the fact there was really no stand-out aboriginal component here as far as hip hop. Every culture needs a voice and aboriginal kids seem most connected to hip hop music. Won18 is still active. We all talk daily and plan to release a follow up to The Dirty Boulevard in 2010.

To check out Doug Plex Bedard’s music visit http://www.myspace.com/won18