![\"A](\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/meta_eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ.jpg\")
Cody Coyote performing at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in 2017. Photo courtesy of codycoyotemusic.com.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201c\u2018By My Side,\u2019 obviously, focused on the good that was in that relationship,\u201d said Purcell. \u201cBut the unfortunate side is that as somebody who is Indigenous, and was dating somebody who's not Indigenous, there were a lot of problems that came with that. Unfortunately, I experienced things like racism and having my voice as an Indigenous person invalidated on numerous occasions. And that's where \u2018Two Worlds' came from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Purcell rose to popularity with the intensely personal themes he includes in his work. He is a member of Metachewan First Nation, a Cree and Ojibwe community located in the Timiskaming District of Ontario. Purcell was raised in Ottawa, but has spent years reclaiming his cultural identity. Through this process of reclamation,\u00a0 he says has become familiar with his family heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was a part of the 60s Scoop,\u201d said Purcell. \u201cMy grandmother was forced to attend St. Joseph's Indian residential school for girls, which was one of the Spanish Indian residential schools in Spanish Ontario. I didn't get to meet my family until I was 25. I\u2019m 29 now. In that time, I've been reclaiming my culture, my language, and learning more about my identity. The more I learned about my family, the more I wanted to defy the oppressive nature that the Government of Canada has towards Indigenous folks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Purcell takes pride in his heritage, saying that by exploring his ancestry, he learned he is the four-times great-grandson of Metachewan\u2019s first chief, who was a signatory of the James Bay treaty.<\/p>\n
Purcell said that learning about his family history has inspired him to make music that celebrates his culture, but it has also brought him a deeper awareness of his own identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more that I discovered, the more I learned,\u201d said Purcell. \u201cIt\u2019s a process\u2014sitting with it for a bit because there's emotions of hurt that come with it, and emotions of anger. Obviously, sadness is a big one. But I think that it's allowed me to find peace within myself. I know who I am. Nobody can take that away. I'm Bear Clan, I\u2019m Ojibwe. I know that I'm from Metachewan First Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the release of Zaagi\u2019idiwin<\/i>, Purcell is now working on a fourth full-length studio album. Although he is currently \u201cfocusing on creating,\u201d fans can still look forward to some live events lined up in the near future.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of performances and such, I know that I'm going to do some workshops on the New Year out in Kamloops as well as Alaska,\u201d said Purcell. \u201cI'm very fortunate to be a part of a team called Warrior Within. We've been [to Alaska] before. We went to St. Paul Island, which is a very remote community in the middle of the Bering Sea. It was a beautiful experience to go there and be able to share this gift of hip-hop with the young people in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The themes of Zaagi\u2019idiwin <\/i>present a message about the importance of compassion and reciprocity in relationships, but they also emphasize self-love, according to Purcell.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstanding your worth goes a very long way,\u201d said Purcell. \u201cI often tell people, \u2018how are you going to be able to offer love to somebody else if you don\u2019t love yourself first?\u2019 I do hope that people realize the importance of offering ourselves love before extending it to other people.\u201d<\/p>\n