Ehski is doing his part to put Nunavut on the hip hop map.
On Aug. 25, the Sanikiluaq-born rapper released his first full length album, an 11-track project called Final Legacy.
“Before it got released, I was down, and overthinking it all, but once it got released, I was happy,” he said a few days after the album debuted on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services. “I’m excited and proud that I’ve released my first album.”
Ehski started working on the songs that comprise Final Legacy years ago, but the project finally came together during his time in the 2021-2022 Ajungi Mentorship Program.
The program, created by Iqaluit-based record-label Hitmakerz, provided him with one-on-one mentoring sessions on performance skills, production, entertainment law, and marketing, and ultimately helped him record his project with Ottawa-based production company Tev Sound.
“I practiced a lot,” Ehski said of the recording process for Final Legacy. “I didn’t want to waste time for my producer. I wanted them to know I took the time to practice so it all went smoothly.”
Ehski got into hip hop when he was about 13, and credits Eminem as one of his earliest influences. However, he didn’t begin working on his own music until he was 16, when he was incarcerated as a young offender at the Isumaqsunngittukkuvik Youth Center in Iqaluit, and started writing poems and lyrics to “cope.”
“After I got out of young offenders I started working on myself and making my own beats and lyrics,” he said. “Every mistake is a lesson for me. Adapt and learn, that’s what I do.”
After his time at the youth centre, Ehski began to grow as a musician by rapping over beats he found on YouTube, and picking the brains of other performers, many of whom have also worked with Hitmakerz.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said of his early days as a musician. “I didn’t know how to perform well.
“I took a lot of inspiration from others,” he said. “I learned a lot from other artists.”
Ehski’s favourite songs on his new album are Believe in Yourself, and the title track, Final Legacy, which features fellow Nunavummiut and Hitmakerz artist Shauna Seeteenak.
No matter which songs listeners identify with, Ehski hopes his music will help people see that they are “not alone” in whatever struggles they’re going through.
“I know it’s exhausting with all of the struggles you deal with, but at the end of the day, it will get easier,” he said. “Tough days will pass.”
He also hopes to inspire other musicians across Nunavut, wider Canada, and internationally.
“That’s a goal too. I’m not the only talented artist in Nunavut. We’re trying our best to reach other provinces and territories, as well as other countries and continents.
“It takes one artists to inspire more artists in the future.”
ᐃᓯᑭ ᐱᓕᕆᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᓂ ᐊᔪᕆᖁᔨᓪᓗᓂ ᒧᒥᕈᓯᕐᒥᒃ
ᐊᒌᓯ 25-ᒥ, ᓴᓂᑭᓗᐊᕐᒥ ᐃᓅᓂᑯ ᐃᖏᖅᑎ ᓴᕿᑎᑦᑎᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᖏᐅᓯᓕᐊᕐᒥᓂ, 11-ᓂ ᐃᖏᐅᓯᓕᐊᑦ ᐊᑎᖃᖅᑐᖅ
ᕙᐃᓄ ᓕᑭᓯ.
‘’ᓱᓕ ᓴᕿᑕᐅᓚᐅᖏᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᑲᑕᖓᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᓱᒪᓗᒃᖢᖓᓗ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᓴᕿᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᖁᕕᐊᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ,’’
ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᓴᕿᑕᐅᓵᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓴᐸᑎᕙᐃ, ᐊᐳ ᒥᐅᓯᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓯᒃᑲᓐᓂᐊᒍᑦ. ‘’ᐅᐃᒪᔮᖅᐳᖓ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᒃᑯᒋᓪᓗᖓ
ᓴᕿᑎᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᕋᒪ ᐃᙱᐅᓯᓕᐊᓐᓂᑦ.’’
ᐃᓂᔅᑭ ᓴᓇᓯᒋᐊᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᖏᐅᓯᓕᐊᒥᓂ ᕙᐃᓄ ᓚᑲᓯ ᖃᖓᑲᓪᓚᒃ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᓂ ᑲᑎᑦᑐᓇᓕᑕᐃᓐᓇᖢᓂᒋᑦ
2021-22 ᐊᔪᖏ ᐃᑲᔪᓱᖅᑕᐅᓂᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴ.
ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᓕᐊᖑᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂᕐᒥᐅᑕᓂᒃ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑎᑦ-ᐊᑎᓕᑦ Hᐃᑦ ᒪᐊᔅᑐᔅ, ᐱᕕᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ
ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕐᓇᖅᓱᖅᑐᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᓂᖅ ᐱᖑᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᓴᕿᑎᑦᑎᓂᖅ, ᖁᖏᐊᖅᑎᑎᓂᖅ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕋᓱᒃ,
ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑲᔫᑎᖃᒻᒪᕆᓚᐅᖅᖢᓂ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕆᓂᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒥᓂ ᐊᑐᕚᒥᐅᑕᓂ ᓴᕿᑎᑦᑎᓯᓂᒃ ᑎ+ ᓴᐅᓐ.
‘’ᐊᔪᕈᓐᓃᖅᓴᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᒪᓐᓇᒻᒪᕆᒃ,’’ ᐃᓯᑭ ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕆᓂᖅ ᕙᐃᓄ ᓕᑭᓯᒥ. ‘’ᓱᕙᓕᑭᐊᕈᒪᓚᐅᖏᓐᓇᒃᑯ
ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕋ ᓴᕿᑎᑦᑎᔨᓐᓄᑦ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᖁᓚᐅᖅᑕᒃᑲ ᐊᔪᕈᓐᓃᓴᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐊᒃᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐊᔪᕐᓇᓚᐅᖏᑦᑐᖅ.’’
ᐃᓯᑭ ᒧᒥᖅᑎᖑᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ 13ᓂ ᐊᕌᒍᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐃᖏᖅᑎᒥ ᐱᓇᕈᓱᒃᖢᓂ ᐃᒥᓂᒻ ᐃᖏᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᕕᓂᖅ. ᐃᖏᐅᓯᓕᐊᓂ
ᐱᒋᐊᖏᓂᑯᐊ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ 16ᓂ ᐊᕋᒍᖃᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᑎᒍᔭᐅᒪᕕᖕᒥ ᒪᑯᒃᑲᓂᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑎᒍᔭᐅᒪᕕᖕᒥᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᖅᓱᖏᑦᑐᒃᑯᕕᒃ
ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂᑦ, ᑎᑎᕋᖃᑦᑕᓯᒋᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᒃᐱᒋᔭᒥᓂ ᖃᓄᐃᖏᓇᓱᒃᖢᓂ.
‘’ᐊᓂᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᑎᒍᔭᐅᒪᕕᖕᒥ ᐅᕙᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᒋᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᓯᒋᐊᖅᖢᖓ ᐃᖏᐅᓯᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᓯᓂ,’’
ᐅᖃᐳᖅ. ‘’ᑕᒻᒪᖅᑕᒃᑲ ᐃᓕᑦᑎᕝᕕᒋᓲᒃᑲ. ᒪᓕᓗᖓ ᐃᓕᑦᑎᓗᖓᓗ, ᑕᐃᒪᐃᐸᒃᑐᖓ.’’
ᑕᐃᑲᙵ ᑎᒍᔭᐅᒪᕕᒥ ᐊᓂᓯᒪᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐃᓯᑭ ᐃᓕᑎᓯᒋᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᖏᕈᓯᓂ ᓂᐱᖃᕈᓗᔭᖅᑐᓂ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᔪ ᑐᑉ,
ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓕᑦᑎᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᙱᖅᑎᓂ, ᐃᓚᖏ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑕᐅᓂᑯᑦ Hᐃᑦᒪᔅᑐᔅᑯᓂ.
‘’ᓇᓗᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᕐᒪᖔᕐᒪ, ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᖏᖅᑎᐅᓕᓵᖅᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᓇᓗᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᖏᑦᑎᐊᕆᐊ.
‘’ᐊᔨᒥᒍᓱᒃᖢᖓ ᐊᓯᓐᓂ, ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ. ᐃᓕᑦᑎᓚᐅᑐᖓ ᐃᖏᖅᑎᓂ.
ᐃᓯᑭᐅ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᕆᓂᖅᐹᖓ ᓴᕿᓵᖅᑕᒥᓂ ᐃᖏᐅᓯᓕᐊᖏᓂ ‘Believe yourself’ ᐃᓕᖕᓂ ᐅᒃᐱᕆᓗᑎ, ᕙᐃᓄ ᓕᑭᓯᒥ,
ᐃᓚᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᖏᖅᑎᖤᒃ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ Hᐃᑦᒪᐃᑯᔅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᖏᖅᑎ ᓴᓇ ᓯᑎᓐᓈᖅ.
ᑭᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᑦ ᑐᓴᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓯᑭᐅ ᐃᖏᐅᓯᓕᐊᓂ ᐃᑲᔫᑎᖃᖁᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᑭᓇᓕᒪᒥ ᑕᑯᓗᑎᒃ ‘’ᐃᓄᑑᖏᓐᓇᒥ’’
ᐊᔪᕐᓇᖅᑐᖅᓯᐅᓕᕋᓗᐊᕋᖓᑕ.
‘’ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔪᖓ ᑕᖃᓇᖅᓯᓲᖅ ᐊᔪᕐᓇᖅᑐᖅᓯᐅᕐᓇᖅᓯᒐᖓᒥ ᑲᒥᒋᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑕᑎᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐅᓪᓗ ᐊᓂᒍᕋᖓᑦ
ᐊᔪᕐᓇᕈᓐᓂᖅᐸᓕᓲᖅ, ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ. ‘ᐊᔪᕐᓇᑐ ᐊᓂᒍᓲᑦ.’’
ᐱᖁᔨᒐᓗᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᐊᔨᒥᒍᓱᓕᖅᑐᖃᕐᓗᓂ ᐃᖏᖅᑎᓂ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᓕᒪᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᐅᓗᒃᑕᓄᓪᓗ, ᓇᒧᓕᒪᖅ.
‘’ᐱᔪᒪᔭᕋ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ, ᐅᕙᖓᑐᐊᖑᖏᑦᑐᖅ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᖃᕋᒪ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ. ᐱᓇᔪᒃᑐᒍᑦ ᑐᓴᖅᑕᐅᔪᒪᓪᓗᑕ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᓄᓇᕗᒥ,
ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᓕᒪᒥ.
ᐃᖏᖅᑎ ᐊᔨᒥᒍᓱᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᕐᒪᑦ ᓯᕗᒧᑦ.