Wab Kinew
Wab Kinew (pron: WOB ka-NOO) is a one-of-a-kind musical talent, becoming one of the artists to watch for from the Western Provinces. He is a hip-hop artist and CBC radio producer/host based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wab exemplifies what it means to be multicultural in Canada today, holding both a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and training in the traditional Medicine ways of his Anishinaabe people.
Ancestries: First Nations
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap
Albums
Awards, Nominations & Submissions
| 2009 | Best Rap / Hip Hop CD | Live By The Drum | Winner |
| 2010 | Single of the Year | Last Word | Submission |
| 2010 | Best Producer/Engineer | Submission | |
| 2009 | Best Music Video | Last Word ft. Tinsel Korey | Submission |
| 2008 | Best Music Video | If This Was Right - Wab Kinew & Dominique Reynolds | Submission |
Videos
Biography
Wab Kinew (pron: WOB ka-NOO) is a one-of-a-kind musical talent, becoming one of the artists to watch for from the Western Provinces. He is a hip-hop artist and CBC radio producer/host based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wab exemplifies what it means to be multicultural in Canada today, holding both a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and training in the traditional Medicine ways of his Anishinaabe people.
Active for years in the hip-hop scene, Wab began to stack up the accolades in 2008. His video for If This Was Right (which he executive-produced, produced and starred in) was nominated for several awards including the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award for Best Music Video, the Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Video and the ImagineNative Film Festivals award for Best Music Video. Wab also shared in a prize at the 2008 ImagineNative Film Festival for Best Documentary, Current Affairs and Talk Radio.
In early 2009, Wab released his debut solo album Live by the Drum through a joint venture between Strongfront Productions and his own company Indie Ends Productions, with support from Manitoba Film & Music. The album has EMI distribution via Arbor records. Wabs album is supported by the video for If This Was Right (which has been added by MuchMusic), a significant online presence, and a planned tour of the Southwestern United States and Western Canada. Live by the Drum is Wab Kinews personal brand. It was the name of his 2007 summer series on CBC Radio One. Its the name of his new album. Wab even has Live by the Drum tattooed on his arm. Wab grew up hearing both the traditional pow-wow drum of the Anishinaabe and the rugged boom-bap drum sounds of hip-hop culture. Inspired by the power of the drum, he believes that music can be used to bridge any cultural gap.
Wabs put that belief into practice, teaching youth from the Immigrant and Refugee Community of Manitoba (IRCOM) to express themselves through rap music and video art. These youth, from places as far flung as Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, the Sudan, Burundi and Somalia have responded to the program with great enthusiasm, as documented by local newspapers and Global Television.
This looks to be a great year for Wab Kinew. In January, the Winnipeg Free Press named him the #1 Artist in Manitoba to watch for this year, beating out acts with major publishing deals, record contracts and booking agents. Explaining their decision they wrote Kinew's ambition is almost palpable. But unlike other artists, Kinew has the charisma (and the business sense) to pull it off In 2009, he could finally smash the glass ceiling between Canada's most dynamic aboriginal voices and a deserved spotlight. (Winnipeg Free Press, January 6, 2009)
