Kamloops-area Indigenous rapper Kiva Mh 'locked in' on music career

Local rapper 'locked in'

Photo: 2 Rivers Remix Festival

Kiva Morgan-Hall goes by Kiva Mh on stage.

Music has been a lifelong family affair for Kiva Morgan-Hall, an Indigenous rapper from the Cache Creek area who's focused on building on success from humble roots.

Morgan-Hall, who goes by Kiva Mh on stage, opened for the Juno-award winning hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids during a show in Kamloops last month.

Speaking with Castanet, the 25-year-old Secwepemc and Nuu-Chah-Nulth artist said he spent much of his early life soaking up music from his mother and father — the former is the artistic director of the 2 Rivers Remix Festival, and the latter has played in a number of bands.

He said he was surrounded by music growing up in the Ashcroft, Cache Creek and Upper Hat Creek area.

But it was through art workshops hosted by his mother that he was introduced to Skeetchestn artist Geo Igance, who goes by Geo AKA The Voice.

“Seeing Geo perform, being like, ‘Wow, there’s an Indigenous rapper,” I didn’t really know I could be an Indigenous rapper, I didn’t know that was an option growing up,” Morgan-Hall said.

Diverse inspirations

Morgan-Hall performed his first written verse at the age of 12. The next year, he wrote and recorded his first verse on a track with The Melawmen Collective — a band comprised of Morgan-Hall, his parents and Ignace.

He said he began writing his own music at about the age of 14, at first only using a guitar and vocals before he began to tinker with producing his own beats.

Morgan-Hall cited Ozzy Osbourne and Bob Marley as some of his favourite artists growing up, and said he leaned towards rock and metal.

“I always liked music, but once I got into rap it was like head over heels in love,” he said. “A lot of my older role models that I looked up to were really into it, so I think that definitely helped.”

It’s a shack on Morgan-Hall’s family property in Ashcroft where “all the music happens.”

He described it as a “little music hub” in the community, where artists would hang out, his parents would work on projects, and it was also where he wrote his first rap song with his cousin Lyle.

“Having that role model, male encouragement definitely really helped,” he said.

“I love what I do with my family and I realized that it created the whole foundation of what I do now.”

Following a hiatus from music and several moves, including to Kamloops and Vancouver, Morgan-Hall is back in Ashcroft, where he’s now sober and focused on making music.

"I'm realizing just being in the home community has so much to offer, and you don't have to leave the rez to be successful, you can build success wherever you are," he said.

Music is medicine

Morgan-Hall has just released his first single in more than four years, titled Sleep on Me, and the Melawmen Collective released its first professional studio album this year as well, titled Fire in the Lake, and will be recording another album in the new year.

Melawmen means medicine in the Secwepemc language, and that’s exactly what Morgan-Hall says music means to him.

“I also find this with youth, it can be hard for them to open up, or adolescents, or teens, or just even people in general, it can be hard for us to open up,” he said.

“So when you’re given this kind of artistic expression where anything goes, and it’s judgement free and you have experienced people helping you put it into a way that you’re happy with, and you’re okay with the world hearing it — gives a sense of confidence, relief.”

Morgan-Hall said he hosts youth workshops called Healing Through Hip-Hop, where he hopes to give youth a voice they can use to express themselves.

He said his dream is to continue making music, to go on tour and to create artistic spaces for youth.

“I’m definitely locked in and just going to continue grinding on the music and continue building up a catalogue of music,” Morgan-Hall said.

“There’s people that really support me, so I feel like I definitely do it for myself, but I also do it for the hometown, do it for the family, do it for the community, do it for my nation, do it for the people who really ride with me.”