It goes without saying that Indigenous communities, are perhaps one if not the most marginalized of all communities in the Americas. As a result, although Hip-Hop has always functioned as a means to speak truth to power and served as a voice for the voiceless, sadly its comes as no surprise that Indigenous communities still find themselves largely underrepresented within the genre. Arguably one of the most influential musical cannons and far reaching global cultural movements of the last fifty years. Challenging this notion however is Kozmik Force, a Hip-Hop duo comprised of emcees Jaguar Arreola and Native Threat who hail from the Inland Empire, region of Southern California. Kozmik Force is a Chicano/Indigenous Rap group, whose core ethics are rooted in, pro-Chicano philosophy, decolonization, fostering pan-Indigenous unity across the American diaspora and the vested interest of confronting and dismantling white supremacy in all its forms through their music and activism.
Known for their militant brand of socially conscious Hip-Hop, the enigmatic duo have made a name for themselves in Souther California’s underground Hip-Hop scene. With politics still a rarity among Chicano Hip-Hop artists, many artists have largely steered clear of politics and are routinely relegated to dated stereotypes and two-dimensional clichés. In addition, Kozmik Force has continued in the long tradition of conscious, politically engaged Hip-Hop, and issued a blistering critique of the U.S. government, the criminal justice system, and worked to challenge the narratives that have been woven into the fabric of the United States.
As a result Kozmik Force has become one of few Chicano Hip-Hop groups that make politics and social consciousness a central component to their music. Making the group among one of the most overtly political Chicano hip hop groups currently in the genre. Actively challenging lies and misinformation that have been woven into the fabric of U.S. mythology and other Latin American nations throughout the America’s perpetuated under past colonialism. Since forming in 2017, Kozmik Force has garnered a loyal and dedicated following online, having quickly become one of the prominent spiritual torch bearers at the forefront of Indigenous resistance through music in the face of neo-colonialism in the 21st century.
During our talk on the show, we catch up with Jag and Threat to discuss their brand new EP Sound of a Weapon, the growth of Kozmik Force four years after their debut, the challenges of making music in the age of COVID-19, and decolonization/Indigenous resistance post-Trump going into a Biden administration. To learn more about Kozmik Force’s origins you can listen to our very first pilot episode of Step Off! Radio with Kozmik Force from 2018 entitled ‘Kill The Colonizer Inside Your Mind’. With that said, we here at Step Off! Radio hope that you all enjoy our conversation with Jaguar and Native Threat of Kozmik Force!
Featured below is our full interview with Kozmik Force available through our official SoundCloud page. You can listen and subscribe to our Step Off! Radio on your preferred podcast streaming service on our brand new Podcast page. You can listen to Kozmik Force’s latest EP Sound of a Weapon which is out now on all major streaming platforms. Please be sure to rate and review the show!
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