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Juno-nominated Indigenous hip-hop duo to play in Port Alberni

Snotty Nose Rez Kids will be at the Kingsway Pub on Saturday, Feb. 23
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The Juno Nominated Hip-Hop duo “Snotty Nose Rez Kids” comes to Port Alberni to perform this Feb 23rd. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Juno-nominated hip-hop duo “Snotty Nose Rez Kids” is headed to Port Alberni.

Snotty Nose Rez Kids (SNRK) has been receiving lots of national and international attention as of late. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2017, and later that year they released The Average Savage to much critical acclaim.

Snotty Nose Rez Kids are from the Haisla Nation, of the Haislakala speaking people. Recreating their identities within their own contexts, they aim to reclaim their voices and share them with a wider audience. Zazaxsmalis, otherwise known as Yung Trybez, is a writer, rapper, photographer and spoken word artist of “The People of the Snow”—the name of the Haisla Nation. Wa’tla’ka—otherwise known as Young D or “D”—is a songwriter/rapper who was born and raised in Kitamaat Village. Together, they are the Snotty Nose Rez Kids.

After touring Canada and parts of the US for the remainder of 2017 and 2018, the duo picked up the Best Rap Hip-Hop Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and The Average Savage was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. Multiple CBC interviews, breakout sets at Vancouver’s Skookum Fest and now a Juno nomination for best Indigenous album have really set the ball in motion for the SNRK.

Benjamin Howells, the owner of event services and production company Mt.Eliah Presents in Port Alberni, thinks highly of SNRK.

“As a lyrically based genre, hip-hop and rap are at its best when being delivered with a message of significance,” he said. “Snotty Nose Rez Kids performed live for a Cumberland Village Works party in the park last spring and they stole our hearts. It was in that moment that we knew we would bring them back, and we did.”

Howells warns that Snotty Nose Rez Kids are selling out shows across the country and will soon be playing much larger venues. Get your tickets now to make sure you get a chance to see SNRK at a more intimate venue when they visit the Kingsway Hotel and Pub (3203 Kingsway Avenue) on Saturday, Feb. 23. The show starts at 10 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit www.mteliah.com or send an email to benhowells0@gmail.com.