Joseph Laplante, stage name Joey Stylez, is a First Nations-Métis Canadian singer and rapper/pop artist.[2]
Joey Stylez | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joseph Laplante |
| Origin | Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Genres | Hip hop, rap, country rap[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, rapper |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Universal, Stressed Street, Flight Academy Music |
| Website | joeystylez |
Personal life
editJoey is married to Haida musician and actress Carsen Gray.[3]
Career
edit2001–2006: Mixtapes Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent
editHe opened for both Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent in Saskatoon.[4]
2007–2008: XXL & Living Proof
editIn June 2007 Stylez was on the front page of[5] The StarPhoenix, got a feature in XXL and ranked on CBC's list of the top 25 Canadian MC's of all time.[6] In 2008 his song and video for "Living Proof" reached No. 4 on Much Music's Rap City.[7]
Joey Stylez was featured in The Star Phoenix with his friends Trent Duff and Sean Horse to show off his fashion success and billboard at Idylwyld Drive and 20th Street, downtown Saskatoon.[8]
2009: The Blackstar
editHis debut studio album The Blackstar was released on November 23, 2009. The title is taken from Joseph's Kookum (grandmother in traditional Plains Cree) name, Christina (LaPlante) Blackstar. Kookum was a traditional Plains Cree woman who never spoke English and practiced all the sacred ceremonies.[9]
The Blackstar earned Stylez three Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, including Best Music Video for his song "Sugarcane" (2009), Best Pop Album (2010) and Songwriter of the Year (2010).[10] In 2011 Joey received a nomination for Aboriginal Album of the Year for this project.[11]
2013: Feather and Rosary
This album featured such songs as "Jaded Angel" that reached number one on the Indigenous Music Countdown.[12]
2016: Red Makaveli
The album was well received and "See You in Hell" was featured on Taylor Sheridan's Hollywood Movie "Wind River"'.
2016: #GREYMAGIC
This album won best rap album of 2017 at the Indigenous Music Awards.
2018: The Star Chief
"Save Your Soul", from this album was featured on the opening episode of Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" television series.
2021: 3 Eye Hip
This multi-genre album appealed to a wide audience and "Indian Girl Driving Me Crazy" won best music video at the Native American Music Awards.[13]
2023: Horse Thieves and Bootleggers
The album introduced Stylez as a trapbilly artist that incorporated trap and hillbilly music, two genres that shaped him as a musician and person.[14]
Associated Acts
editThe Weeknd -[15]
Dragonette -[16]
Ty Dolla $ign -[17]
Bun B -
Snak the Ripper -[18]
Pete Sands -[19]
Sten Joddi -[20]
Carsen Gray -[3]
Movie and Television Song Placements
edit2017: "See You in Hell" was featured on Taylor Sheridan's Hollywood Movie "Wind River"[21]
2021: Save Your Soul, was featured on the opening episode of Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone"[22] television series.
2022: Stylez collaborated with artist Sten Joddi on "Urban Natives", which was featured on the "Reservation Dogs" television series.
2023: The single "Step" was featured on the gritty television drama "Mayor of Kingstown".[23]
Tattoos
editStylez got his first tattoo when he was seventeen.[9] It was of Chief Sitting Bull. In an interview with Marie Clements' Urban Ink, Stylez noted Sitting Bull as a monumental figure to his people. He said, "I am inspired by his life and strive to one day be a great figure like him, so it's a perfect reminder.[9] " He named one tattoo "Chief Joseph". He also has the Indian outlaw logo and "Indian Outlaw" in script on both his forearm and stomach. Centered on the back of his shoulders is the West Coast style eagle with Cree syllabics below that say, "a gift and a curse." He explained, "The gift is having lots of young impressionable eyes on me, so do not want to steer them on the wrong path, which is the curse.[9]
Community work
editEach year Joey Stylez performs across Canada at sometimes isolated First Nations Reserves. He visits youth homes and juvenile detention centres. He has facilitated workshops with a focus on Native American youth empowerment and confidence building.[24]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Ceremony | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards[25] | Sugarcane, The Blackstar | Best Music Video | Won |
| 2010 | Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards[25] | "Kool Runnin" | Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year | Won |
| 2010 | Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards[25] | "The Blackstar" | Best Pop CD | Won |
| 2017 | Indigenous Music Awards | "#GREYMAGIC" | Best Rap Album | Won |
| 2022 | Native American Music Awards | Indian Girl Driving Me Crazy | Best Pop Video | Won |
| Year | Ceremony | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 2010 | Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards[25] | "The Blackstar" | Aboriginal Male Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2010 | Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards[25] | "The Blackstar" | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| 2010 | Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards[25] | "Kool Runnin" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| 2010 | Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards | "The Blackstar" | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2011 | Juno | "The Blackstar" | Aboriginal Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2014 | Native American Music Awards | "Feather + Rosary" | Best Pop Album | Nominated |
| 2017 | Native American Music Awards | "Urban Nativez" with Sten Joddi | Single of the Year | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Joey Stylez Drops New Album 'Horsethieves & Bootleggers,' Executive Produced by DJ Kemo". Complex. January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ "Saskatchewan Native Rapper Joey Stylez Nominated For Juno". First Nations Drum. admin. March 14, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
- ^ a b "Singer". Carsen Gray. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Metis Rapper Rising". Canada.
- ^ "Metis Rapper Rising". The Star Phoenix.
- ^ http://music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2013/3/The-25-greatest-Canadian-rappers-ever [bare URL]
- ^ "Joey Stylez". Aboriginal Peoples Choice. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ^ "Star Phoenix". Canada. Saskatoon Star Phoenix.
- ^ a b c d "UI Features Joey Stylez". Urban Ink. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
- ^ Aboriginal Peoples Choice. "Joey Stylez". Aboriginal Peoples Choice. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ^ "2011 Juno Award Nominations Announced – Drake leads nomination count with six". Hip Hop Canada. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ^ "Indigenous Music Countdown". Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS". nativeamericanmusicawards.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Pavlakos, Louis. "Joey Stylez Drops New Album 'Horsethieves & Bootleggers,' Executive Produced by DJ Kemo". Complex. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "The Weeknd". Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Dragonette". Dragonette. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Ty Dolla $ign | Official Website – "Motion" Out Now!". Ty Dolla $ign. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Snak The Ripper | Official Website". Snak The Ripper. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Playing For Change | Pete Sands". Playing For Change. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Home". TattooMuzik.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Sheridan, Taylor (August 18, 2017), Wind River (Crime, Drama, Mystery), Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Graham Greene, Acacia Filmed Entertainment, Savvy Media Holdings, The Fyzz Facility, retrieved June 27, 2023
- ^ "Yellowstone (American TV series)", Wikipedia, June 26, 2023, retrieved June 27, 2023
- ^ Mayor of Kingstown (Crime, Drama, Thriller), Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, Hugh Dillon, 101 Studios, Bosque Ranch Productions, MTV Entertainment Studios, November 14, 2021, retrieved June 28, 2023
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Performers are Getting Ready to Shine". Whats Up Yukon. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "APCMA". Aboriginal Peoples Choice. Retrieved June 11, 2014.