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MUSIC
Big Hippy
Rapper and artist Chief Peace hopes to parlay a chance meeting with Shaquille O’Neal into a meaningful local impact. By Ben Luschen
Shaquille O’Neal might be the last person this opportunity,” he said. “I keep saying, anyone would expect to see walk into The ‘Turn this wave into a flood.’ People say Hubbly Bubbly Hookah & Cafe on a this stuff comes in waves, but this isn’t all Tuesday night, but one thing is for sure: about me. Oklahoma’s been flooded with culture for years now.” When the retired professional basketball star enters a building, there’s no mistaking him. Finding Peace Local rapper and artist Barrett Tarr, Peace’s Paseo Arts District apartment is a clean, open space. There’s a noticeable known by his stage name Chief Peace, lack of furnishings. A hammock hangs in hosts open mic nights at the local hookah the corner. A sound booth and makeshift lounge, 2900 N. Classen Blvd., several times a month. home studio dominate an area by the window. Paintings and a rack of longHe did not expect the 7-foot, 1-inch boards hang on the wall. A calming basketball legend to drop in on the poetry jam a f ter an incense scent wafts Oklahoma City through the room. To step inside is Thunder and San to enter the artist’s Antonio Spurs Lil Debbie mind. playoff game. He with Bricc Baby Shitro, did not expect the Love and art Josh Sallee, Chief Peace might be Peace’s grand entry to and Mars Deli lead to the biggest mantra now, but he 8 p.m. Aug. 11 career bump any admits it hasn’t OKC Farmers Public Market young local artist always been. 311 S. Klein Ave. might dream of. Peace said he eliteproductionsokc.com Poetr y a nd has always felt com405-232-6506 spoken word are pelled to create, but $12-$25 great, but Peace growing up, most $5 thought O’Neal, people didn’t recogwho once showed nize him as an artist. He was promising rap chops in a short-lived music career that smart and adept at sports. In high school, included collaborations with The most saw him as a nice and funny athlete. Notorious B.I.G. and Fu-Schnickens, Music eventually made its way to the would appreciate a different kind of showforefront of his life. He dropped out of case. sports and concentrated on songwriting. “I had just started doing songs when I One of his first rap names was Cadency, a realized Shaq walked in,” he said. moniker he halfheartedly adopted as a It was an opportunity he couldn’t pass nod to his smooth and on-point flow. up, and it paid off. The emcee saw O’Neal “Eventually, it was just like, ‘I think waving his hands to the beat of Peace’s there’s more to me than just staying on tune “Hippy Kid” back in the VIP lounge. beat,’” he said. After Peace left the stage, he was called He fully embraced the Chief Peace back to see O’Neal, who said he wanted to handle, a name he first used on Instagram, use his song on ShaqFu Radio, his streambut not until he felt he earned it. ing online radio station. He took the time to work on himself When O’Neal asked him if he was going after a particularly tumultuous period in back onstage, Peace convinced O’Neal to his life. He meditated daily and sought a join him as his hype man. In May, a video greater understanding of the world, all of the two performing “Hippy Kid” was while improving his musical abilities. soon picked up by celebrity gossip and Peace grew out his dreadlocks and promnews website TMZ. It quickly went viral. ised himself that he would also continue to grow mentally. In June, the single became the most requested song on Oklahoma City radio “I want to make sure I’m not ever stagstation Wild KKWD 104.9 FM. “Hippy nant,” he said. Kid” has almost 35,000 plays on SoundCloud, YouTube and Spotify. Fresh canvas Peace hopes the chance encounter proAfter his encounter with O’Neal, Peace vides a diving board high enough for him took some criticism for his rap name. to make the kind of big splash he has Some claimed he misrepresented Native culture. planned for a while now. His new album, Blue Peace, is due out in September. The artist discussed the complaints His goal is not merely to reach listenwith a group of Native friends and artists ers. It’s to change minds and forge a moveto clarify his intention in using the name. ment in the state he loves. “I wanted them to know that this is not “I’m just trying to take advantage of a gimmick; this is out of respect,” he said. 36
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Chief Peace plans to release a full-length album, Blue Peace, in September. | Photo Garett Fisbeck
I keep saying, ‘Turn this wave into a flood.’ People say this stuff comes in waves. Chief Peace “I do know that there are probably Native Americans watching the news … and being like, ‘Who is this white kid calling himself Chief Peace? I’m not calling him chief.’” Some accepted Peace’s explanation and motive; others did not. But he said everyone agreed he did the right thing by opening a conversation. Some other artists might have ignored the criticism. Peace said his mother moved to California within the last year and his family wants him to move to the West Coast. Though he one day will likely move from Oklahoma to affect the world in new places, he said he wants to make a lasting impression in this state first. “Oklahoma is just a blank canvas right
now; California has been painted plenty of times,” he said. “Yeah, I could paint over it and add my own little touches, or I could do this in Oklahoma and show people you don’t have to move to create anything.” One could argue that Peace has already made an impact. The young and the old, the big and the small, the masses and the massively famous have joined him singing, “I’m that hippy kid.” “I want them to look at hippies not as anything but loving music and friends and going outside and enjoying life and good vibes,” he said, “because that’s all I picture.”