By Austin Henderson
On Saturday, the Blue Moose Tap House will host “Water is Life,” a hip-hop benefit concert attempting to raise money and awareness for the #NODAPL movement.
The performance, which will cost $10, will have two shows, an all-ages show at 6 p.m. and a 21+ show beginning at 10 p.m. The event, organized by Iowa City locals Bobber Hall, Daepian Apperal, and Christine Nobiss, aims to both publicize and raise funds for those protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The benefit concert will feature four artists: Iowa City rappers MC Animosity and Jim Swim will open, followed by Native rappers Tall Paul and Bazille Dx. The lineup will have a diverse sound, with the entertaining flows of MC Animosity juxtaposed with the empowering message of Tall Paul’s “Prayers in a Song.”
The controversial pipeline crosses the Missouri River immediately north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation near Mandan, North Dakota. Those who oppose it argue that the crossing, at the north end of Lake Oahe Reservoir, would threaten access to clean water and the local ecosystem in the case of a spill. This is seen by some, including the event’s organizers, as another intrusion on Native sovereignty, highlighted by the creation of the reservoir itself in the 1960s, which the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation states forcibly relocated residents in order to ease flooding downstream.
“We fear that Native Peoples will be left to deal with the mistakes of a project that they were against,” Bazille Dx said.
Protests against the pipeline have been marred by the conflict between law enforcement and activists, culminating in recent weeks in the spraying of protesters with a water cannon. The Washington Post has reported that this act, done in the frigid cold of a North Dakota night, led to the hospitalization of protesters suffering from hypothermia. Alongside this, police forces have bombarded protesters with rubber bullets, beanbag rounds, and, allegedly, conscussion grenades.
Nobiss said the primary goal of the concert is to draw attention to the plight of the protesters.
“We want to bring publicity to what’s happening at Standing Rock,” she said. “[These events] are another example of oppression against Native Peoples.”
Until recently, one of the more concerning subplots of the events at Standing Rock has been the nearly complete mainstream media blackout about the issue.
“A few nights ago, some friends and I were watching the news, here in Philadelphia, and there was no coverage of the protests at all,” said Bazille Dx. “I hear from family members protesting and feel that there is nothing I can do, but this concert is a means by which to raise publicity.”
For him, the show has a personal connection. He began rapping while growing up on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation near Standing Rock, and this experience reflect that for the listeners to his music.
“An artist without content has nothing,” he said. “The protests have given me so much to say.”
While he is unsure of the crowds that the performance will draw, he feels empowered knowing that he can use his voice to raise awareness.
“No matter how many people are there, I plan on giving it my all,” Bazille Dx said.