Minneapolis has once again found itself at the center of a national reckoning. But for rapper, producer, and activist Tufawon, this moment is not just another headline. It is lived reality.
AllHipHop caught up with the Minneapolis native as he remained embedded on the ground, witnessing coalition-building across Black, Indigenous, Somali, and immigrant communities, while also releasing Gradient, a museum-commissioned EP rooted in Native identity, resistance, and futurism.
What follows is an unfiltered conversation with Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur about fear, hope, hypocrisy, mutual aid, infiltration tactics, and why Minneapolis may be building the blueprint for what comes next. Click here for full Q&A or watch in the video below.
AllHipHop: How are you holding up right now?
Tufawon: All things considered, I’m doing well. I’m feeling inspiration from the people on the ground getting organized. I’m going through waves of emotions because everything right now is chaotic, but the movement of the people is giving me a lot of hope.
AllHipHop: As a Black man, it feels like we’ve taken decades backwards. How do you see this moment historically?
Tufawon: There’s a lot of history repeating itself. This administration is clearly taking steps backwards. It’s blatant. It’s out in the open. But even with how bad it is, the people are organizing on a level I’ve never seen. My hope is bigger than the atrocities. Bigger than the fascism. I believe they’re afraid of this movement.
AllHipHop: What keeps you going when you’re watching people be killed like this? Do you feel fear that it could keep escalating?
Tufawon: I do. But I’m seeing a shift. A lot of white people who were on the fence are pulling back from Trump. Some are saying they won’t vote Republican in the midterms.
The problem is ICE. A lot of these agents are untrained or minimally trained, and they believe they’re above the law. When white people are harmed too, it exposes how ugly the agenda really is.
AllHipHop: The hypocrisy feels unavoidable.
Tufawon: Exactly. Kyle Rittenhouse shows up with a rifle and he’s a hero. Now a concealed-carry guy shows up and suddenly he’s the villain. Same people. Same logic. You can’t argue around that anymore. The hypocrisy is being exposed and it’s backing them into a corner.
And people saw this man get disarmed. He wasn’t using his weapon. He was protecting a woman. He was protecting all of us. That’s why it hits so hard.
AllHipHop: What are you seeing on the ground that people outside Minnesota don’t fully understand?
Tufawon: Minneapolis is heavily segregated. The Somali community is boxed in. The Native community is boxed in. The North Side, the historically Black community, is boxed in.
But right now, I’m seeing coalition-building that breaks those barriers down. We’re eating together. Crying together. Strategizing together. Actually taking action.
There’s also a deep irony. People are being detained on our own land and sent to Fort Snelling, which was a concentration camp for my ancestors. That’s not abstract history. That’s real.
People keep saying this is just about immigration. It’s not. They’re terrorizing Black communities too. It’s all connected.
AllHipHop: Explain mutual aid for people who may not understand it.
Tufawon: Mutual aid is people directly supporting people. Money. Food. Transportation. Resources. Some folks can’t leave their homes. Some can’t work.
Pow Wow Grounds coffee shop has become a hub. They’re so well-resourced now they’re redirecting food to other organizations to spread it out.
It affects income too. I’m a rapper, but I’m also a teaching artist. I teach Native youth how to make songs from start to finish. Gigs get pushed back. Restaurants shut down. Mutual aid helps people survive right now.
AllHipHop: You also mentioned rapid response teams.
Tufawon: People are posted throughout the city and suburbs. When ICE activity is spotted, Signal chats light up in real time. People blow whistles. The community comes together. We’ve pushed ICE agents out multiple times. It literally saves lives.
AllHipHop: You talked about heroes and martyrs.
Tufawon: Everybody in Minneapolis is a hero right now. But especially the people out there every single day risking their lives. They could get shot. They’re doing it anyway.
And I’m holding white people accountable. Don’t stop when things feel normal again. Don’t disappear. There’s no stopping.
AllHipHop: You also said even under Democratic leadership, oppression continues.
Tufawon: Exactly. We can’t let up once Trump is gone. Blue administrations still had police brutality. People are realizing the people hold the power.
And there’s a class awakening happening. Racism is used as a tool in class warfare. Poor and working-class people are being pitted against each other so the wealthy can stay in control. Some ICE agents are realizing they signed up for something they can’t live with. The turnover is high. That system doesn’t care about them either.
AllHipHop: There’s talk of infiltration. ICE dressing differently, blending in. Are organizers aware?
Tufawon: Absolutely. A lot of us were trained at Standing Rock and again in 2020. We know infiltration is real. They’ve posed as utility workers. They’ve entered Signal chats.
Security culture matters. Vet people. Ask questions. Know who you’re working with. We’re training people constantly to protect the movement.
AllHipHop: Let’s talk about Gradient.
Tufawon: Gradient is a seven-song EP commissioned by the American Composers Forum as part of their Recomposing America project. It’s tied to a Duluth Art Institute exhibition. Visitors experience the museum while listening to my music.
The project is about fighting colonialism and imperialism, but also about who we were before colonizers and who we’re becoming. Indigenous people exist on a gradient. Our cultures, our skin tones, our histories.
I produced everything. Rapped. Sang. Played Native flute and guitar. It leans Hip-Hop but also R&B. It’s one of the projects I’m most proud of.
AllHipHop: Any last thoughts?
Tufawon: Taking care of your family is revolutionary. Babysitting for someone on the front line is revolutionary. Raising money is revolutionary. Everybody has a role.
And I believe this. The love I’m seeing right now is bigger than their fascism. We’re going to defeat this.
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