The new wave of hip-hop has arisen a woke generation. From it, Xiuhtezcatl — seventeen-year-old Indigenous rapper and activist — has emerged, stirring the comatose with his music.
From performing at the Standing Rock encampment with Immortal Technique and Nahko to leading the Youth v. Gov. lawsuit against the Federal Government, Xiuhtezcatl’s actions show his music is more than words.
Xiuhtezcatl grew up immersed in the indigenous Aztec traditions of his father and advocating for social and environmental justice with his mother.
Recently Xiuhtezcatl performed before the U.N. General Assembly, collaborated on stage and in the studio with Jaden Smith and Bassnectar, and appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
His deliberate use of “we” is important in his advocacy for climate justice — resilience in the face of adversity is a shared burden among the plaintiffs, as well as youth around the world. Martinez points to the Youth Climate Strike as evidence of real, collective consciousness taking shape. “We’ve seen millions of young people from all over the world striking for the climate, commanding political action to be taken from our leaders to address the climate crisis,” he points out. “That has been really significant, to see how people have stood up and made change.”
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