Supaman joins anti-vaping campaign

Native rapper Supaman educates youth on the risks of vaping at Lakota Nation Invitational in South Dakota

Apsáalooke (Crow) rapper and fancy dancer Christian Parrish Takes His Gun, known by his stage name Supaman, used the Lakota Nation Invitational halftime show to educate Native youth on the risks of vaping as part of the FDA’s Next Legends campaign to end e-cigarette use amongst Native youth.

Native youth consume tobacco products at a higher rate than any other group, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, over 15 percent of Native youth reported using e-cigarettes or vapes.

“The tobacco industry is nothing new with how they market their poisons, our people have always been a target,” Supaman told ICT and the Rapid City Journal Friday. “For our people, for me, it’s a no-brainer to stand up against these things.”

The campaign seeks to educate Native youth on the dangers of vaping. Next Legends said vapes often contain metal particles, like lead and nickel; cadmium, used in car batteries; pyrene, a pesticide; formaldehyde, a preservative. Vaping or smoking as a teen can also prevent lungs from fully developing and permanently stunt their growth, the campaign said.

“No matter what substance, all addictions affect our health so I try to confront them all in one pot, so to speak. I do that by taking a stand and being healthy. Being substance-free confronts a wide array of topics (affecting us) whether it’s using tobacco, drugs, opioids, alcohol, whatever it may be. These all affect our people,” Supaman said.

Next Legends is an FDA-sponsored e-cigarette prevention campaign aimed at Native youths ages 12-17. The campaign educates Native youth on the mental and physical effects of vaping.

“If you vape you’re not only affecting yourself, you’re affecting your team and the team’s outcome, which is why our campaign features lacrosse, basketball, and canoeing,” said Matt Williams, Oglala Lakota and a researcher for G&G advertising, an Indigenous-owned ad agency working on the Next Legends campaign. “We report on the facts and we know for a fact that when you vape you’re inhaling toxic chemicals that damage your lungs and your team.”

A majority of youth who participate in LNI are athletes. The campaign slogan, “There’s no vape in team,” was aimed at educating youth on the risks posed to their athletic ability.

This was the first time that the Next Legends campaign attended a major event. Partnering with Supaman was a way for the campaign to find an Indigenous role-model in line with the campaign’s drug-free message, organizers said.

Supaman is known for his uplifting lyrics, often describing the struggle of reservation life and empowering messaging. In 2017 at the height of the #NoDAPL campaign, Supaman was featured in Black Eyed Peas rapper Taboo’s “Stand Up/ Stand N Rock #NoDAPL.” The video later won an MTV Music Award for Best Video with a Social Message.

“We chose him because he’s a recognizable face with the youth especially in the U.S. and he’s got a positive message. He lives a healthy lifestyle himself, he’s really uplifting, he’s a motivational speaker as well and he combines the traditional and contemporary Native elements,” Williams said.

Williams emphasized the importance of keeping one’s body in harmony with itself and using tobacco for non-sacred purposes disrupts that balance. 

“By making good choices, being drug and alcohol-free, that’s a traditional life for our people,” Supaman said. “We want to push that. Be traditional, and honor your people, ancestors, and family. This is a good step in that direction, being who you are as a Lakota person or whatever tribe you may be. This is a great step in preserving who we are. Being drug and alcohol-free is a part of our ways.”

Dateline:

RAPID CITY, S.D.