Sask. Cree-Mtis artist plays New Orleans, shares his message of hope with youth

"It's a blessing," said Joey Stylez.

Stylez, whosereal name is Joseph LaPlante, is a Saskatchewan Cree-Mtis singer-songwriter who recently played the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Despite a little rain, the rapper and hip-hop artist performed for the crowd.

"When we start making this music, you're just making it for yourself. But in the back of your mind you always want to play in front of big crowds," he told CBC Saskatchewan's Afternoon Edition.

"We want to continue to elevate and rise to new heights with this music and there's still a lot of ways to go but we're on our way there."

Stylez wasn't the only person at the festival from the prairies his guitar player and D.J. are from the prairies as well.

He alsoperformed his high-energy set with an Indigenous dancer on stage.

"For me, to bring that little flair with me down south here in New Orleans is exciting," he said.

"I want to let everybody feel when they're at my set is like they're still here, they're still doing it, Native Americans are alive and well and they're thriving."

Stylez wound up in New Orleans after meeting an organizer, Rachel Ornelas, while in Winnipeg.

Ornelas helped Stylez get to New Orleans, and also helped coordinate a performancefor some high school students in their school gymnasium.

"Playing at that big stage, world-class stage is great. But just seeing how like the youth responded to the music, responded to the new material that was just as hyped for me," he said. "It was just a good telltale sign of where I'm at."

There were about 900 First Nations students enrolled at the school, Stylez said. He has a similar background, he said, and wants to share hope.

"That's kind of the message we're trying to spread out there is we're working for the overachievers and underdogs and we can all be victors instead of victims," he said. "Because a lot of people put us in that victim category."

Next, he is off to the Gathering of Nations in New Mexico, California and other stops.

"We're just trying to bring wellness all over the place, everywhere we go," he said. "I still want to spread that message of like, 'Don't lose hope,' 'There's always a rainbow at the end of that storm cloud,' and 'Keep going.'"

"You only live once, right? So you might as well enjoy yourself while you're out here."