Leveling the Playing Field: ALLSZN
(From left to right) T-Dro, Tufawon, RAW402, AntoineX, Destroykasmin, Gunner, The Real SR
These goals come from a personal place for Antoine and Gunner, as their early development as artists shared a common struggle; accessibility. Gunner Jules a 33 year old father and singer was born and raised on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. A member of the Sicangu Lakota Tribe, Gunner began to record songs using a school computer on the Rosebud reservation where he grew up. He saw music as a hobby more than anything because there were no reference points close enough to him to see it as a viable career. It wasn’t until 2017 in Toronto where he met the directors of the Remix Project that things changed. It was at this time when he witnessed the effectiveness of community organizing that was leveling the playing field for young people from disadvantaged, marginalized and underserved communities. Gunner asked himself a simple question; “How do we bring this to the rez?”
ANTOINEX is wearing a vintage Pierre Cardin suit, ProClub t-shirt, Praying trucker hat, Prada sunglasses with his own shoes and jewelry; GUNNER is wearing a vintage Giorgio Armani sport coat, Dries Van Noten polo, Amiri Jeans, Moncler bucket hat, Celine sunglasses with his own shoes and jewelry
Fast forward to a show at Marty Indian School in Marty, SD where Gunner and Antoine shared a stage for the first time. Gunner realized he wasn’t alone in his struggle nor was he the only one thinking solutions. It was through this opportunity, mutual respect and genuine chemistry that the two of them began to breathe life into projects like the Dimensions and LandBack albums but more profoundly a partnership that would come to be known as ALLSZN, was birthed.
While not biological brothers, founders of ALLSZN hold a familial bond through their innate responsibility to their community, one that extends past music alone and lends itself to the vast ambitions that encompass ALLSZN. Laughter fills the air while they recall a cold plains winter morning in 2016 during the NoDAPL movement. You begin to hear a fondness in their voices that can only come from an unspoken understanding that protecting their communities is the first and foremost priority and any opportunity to do so is one to be proud of. Simply calling these men ‘warriors’ takes away from the gentleness that comes from a conversation with them. This kind of dedication to their people influences every facet of ALLSZN and keeps the two hungry and ambitious.
ANTOINEX is wearing an Amiri hoodie, Pro Club t-shirt, vintage wool slacks, and his own hat and jewelry; GUNNER is wearing vintage wool slacks with stylist's jewelry
“Our mission is to help refine the raw talents of young Indigenous people in order to help them find success as they define it on their own terms.” says AntoineX who makes reference to a time in his career when older artists didn’t know how to show love or offer guidance and mentorship. AntoineX, a 28 yo UmOnHon, Lakota Rapper and Singer says, “This is our way of giving back and providing what we, ourselves, could have benefitted from as young artists.” You can hear the balance of confidence and humility in Antoine’s voice as he affirms ALLSZN’s mission, “We envision a world where Natives are empowered through the creation and publication of high quality music and media allowing them to tell their stories and be seen in a world that otherwise systemically erases their identity.”
ANTOINEX is wearing an Amiri hoodie, Pro Club t-shirt, vintage wool slacks, and his own hat and jewelry
What was once an idea to refine the artistic talents of young Natives now carries with it a massive responsibility to give underserved communities a fair shot in the game. A responsibility that is aided by years of combined experience. By offering full service studios, artist management, and mobile youth workshops, such as the ALLSZN Youth Camps they can now give aspiring and established artists opportunities to advance their careers within the music industry.
The ALLSZN Youth Camps are one the engaging and impactful aspects of the group’s community work. Traveling to various reservations and first nation communities the ALLSZN team offers a series of workshops where young artists are able to learn the processes of songwriting, recording, and producing music through a hands-on approach. They write, record and produce a song and shoot a music video therein learning to express themselves in their own, unique and healthy way. The artists also learn techniques for recording, live performance, overcoming stage fright, and social media marketing. Workshops center around the four elements of hip-hop and connect them to our Indigenous teachings.
DESTROYKASMIN is wearing a vintage Givenchy blazer with his own pants and shoes; GUNNER is wearing a vintage Dior coat, ProClub t-shirt, Fred Perry slacks with his own hat, sunglasses and jewelry
The group also takes a step further with morning-motivation speeches that include discussions on healthy lifestyle practices, anti-bullying, suicide prevention, education, and breaking stereotypes. “Our goal is to give each individual artist their own personal freedom to express themselves while providing support, mentorship and guidance.”
The heavy nature of what this team is doing would lead someone to believe this group is all business all the time, and while you can count on something always in the works you can also find the ALLSZN team relying on the tenants of brotherhood and healthy masculinity. This often shows itself as laughter and love.
What separates ALLSZN isn’t the packed venues or the million views on their artists’ videos. It’s the intentional and familial relationships they hold with one another. Destroykasmin (23), one of the youngest members from Ganado, AZ, speaks to how ALLSZN made an impression on him as a young Diné man. “They were the first people to actually recognize me and bring me on tour.” and throughout their fall tour Kasmin describes a feeling of safety and support. While being concerned that the artist lifestyle would pull him from his obligation to sobriety and maybe more importantly his obligation to creating great music, he found quite the opposite. “These guys can fill venues but it essentially comes down to road trips and vibes,” he says as he fondly reflects on moments of kinship and mentorship.
ANTOINEX is wearing a Givenchy X Chito t-shirt, Amiri jeans and his own jacket, jewelry and hat
The community-oriented strengths of ALLSZN not only allow for young artists to tap in and work but encourages them to truly pursue their dreams through guidance from experienced professionals. These men follow a philosophy that sounds great in theory but is truly moving when you see it exemplified in experiences such as Kasmin’s.
As for the future of ALLSZN, a spring/summer tour is being planned as well as several individual projects that can be found on their personal Instagrams or @allsznofficial. However, more impressively there is an emphasis on further building the youth camp’s curriculum and carving a permanent space to which they will build a compound for the camps to thrive. A Native owned and managed space dedicated to the enrichment and development of underserved peoples fighting for their spot in the industry.
T-Dro is wearing a Stampd cardigan, his own hat embroidered ALLSZN
It’s not easy being Native, and breaking into places such as the music industry can seem impossible. But when a door is opened for one of us it allows for barriers to be broken and the possibilities to grow. They not only grow but change the foundation of what it means to be Native in America and there lies the power to be anything we put our hearts to. The game is set, the field has been leveled, all it needs is you.
