Nammys-South Dakota artists garner attention from Native American Music Awards

By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal Staff Writer

By next week, Night Shield and Maniac will know whether to add “award- winner” to their hip hop resumes.

The Lakota hip hop artists from South Dakota are each nominated for Native American Music Awards, or Nammys, presented June 8, in Hollywood, Fla. The awards honor the work of American Indian musicians with categories including traditional music as well as blues, country, rock and hip hop.

Night Shield is nominated for his single “Anything You Want,” and Maniac is nominated for his debut album “Nightmerika.”

Gabriel Night Shield lives and works in Sioux Falls, but the Lakota musician got his start in St. Francis on Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Night Shield said he always loved music, doing DJ work at his high school events.

“I’d always had a passion for music, so when it got time to figure out what I wanted to do after high school, I knew music was what I wanted.”

He attended the Art Institute of Seattle, graduating in 1999.

After returning to South Dakota, Night Shield said he began exploring which direction to take his career. About six years ago, he moved to Sioux Falls and started his own record label, Night Shield Entertainment. “When I started out, I never really planned on being an artist myself,” he said.

That changed when he put

out a compilation album, adding a track or two of his own music. When people asked for more, he realized that part of his passion lay in performing and so he obliged.

His 2004 album “Catistophic” was nominated for a NAMMY.

Despite his own performing and recording, Night Shield has continued to produce other artists. That’s how he met Maniac, also known as Troy Eagle Chasing, Jr.

Maniac grew up in Eagle Butte, a huge fan of rap and hip hop. He was producing his own CDs at home and performing as much as possible when he met Night Shield about three years ago.

Night Shield liked Maniac’s sound and his performance style and asked to sign him to Night Shield Entertainment. They have been performing together since.

The pair toured the country, playing in Oklahoma, Los Angeles, Arizona and the Virgin Islands in the past year.

Both artists plan to attend the awards and hope their fans will take the time to vote for them. As for the music itself, Night Shield has his own philosophy. “To just keep doing it as long as people want us to do it ... when it starts feeling like a job, I guess we’ll hang it up.”

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com