There’s a lot to be said about the inspiring music created by OPLIAM, the stage name of Columbia Music Business student Liam McDonald. For one, his upbeat mix of hip-hop, rock and roll, and reggae is both catchy and funky enough to get anyone’s toes tapping. But OPLIAM’s music goes farther than just infectious rhythms and enticing melodies: he uses his talent to make impactful statements about the struggles that indigenous people continue to go through. OPLIAM’s family on his father’s side comes from the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve outside of Montreal, and the artist takes inspiration from his roots in order to bring attention to issues of prejudice that have effected his family and his community generation after generation. His recently released third album, MEDICINE WOMXN, features a cover with a picture of his grandmother, a traditional Mohawk medicine woman who was..

Source: SPOTLIGHT ON: OPLIAM and the Indigenous Peoples March | In The Loop