XIUHTEZCATL Releases New Single “Blu Ink (Ft. Isa)” Today (2/1) // Tour Dates Supporting Nahko and Medicine for the People Begin February 28

DT: FEBRUARY 1, 2018

FM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MIKE GOWEN/BARI LIEBERMAN

MSO PR

XIUHTEZCATL

–17-YEAR-OLD INDIGENOUS RAPPER AND ACTIVIST–

RELEASES “BLU INK (FT. ISA)”

TODAY (2/1)

LEAD SINGLE FROM DEBUT FULL-LENGTH ALBUM

‘BREAK FREE’

OUT THIS SPRING

TOUR DATES SUPPORTING

NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE

BEGIN FEBRUARY 28

Above: Xiuhtezcatl

XIUHTEZCATL (pronounced ‘shoo-TEHZ-caht’)–17-year-old Indigenous rapper and activist who’s leading the charge in the current lawsuit against the Federal Government, Youth v. Gov–today (2/1) has released “Blu Ink (ft. Isa).” The lead single is a featured track off his forthcoming debut full-length album, BREAK FREE, set for release this spring (release date TBA).

Download/stream “Blu Ink (ft. Isa),” written by XIUHTEZCATL and his sister Isa, via the following platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud and Amazon Music.

BREAK FREE was co-produced by XIUHTEZCATL and notable producer Brian Hardin (whose credits include Quincy Jones, Guns N Roses and India.Arie, among many others), along with up-and-coming producers Xi-Tika and Richard Vagner. The coming-of-age album is the self-told story behind the outspoken, Indigenous-American and features guest artists, including Jaden Smith and Teo on “Boombox Warfare,” Nahko on “Young,” Stic of Dead Prez on “Sage Up” and the above-mentioned Isa on “Blu Ink” and “One Day.” In the song “Blu Ink,” XIUHTEZCATL raps: “Blu ink, scribbled on my page/Pray my light won’t die when the sun fades/Blu ink, written in my veins/Written for this love of the music I’ve made.”

As he prepares for the release of BREAK FREE, XIUHTEZCATL will hit the road for a 10-date run of tour dates supporting Nahko and Medicine for the People, with whom he performed alongside of at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in his home state of Colorado this past September. The tour dates–which will feature X performing with band members Richard Vagner (strings), Isa (vocals) and Jaiia (drums)–begin February 28 in Burlington, VT and will stop in Syracuse, Charlotte, Charleston, New Orleans and Fort Lauderdale, among other cities. See below for upcoming tour dates.

Above: Xiuhtezcatl at Red Rocks Amphitheatre 9.15.17

In December (2017), XIUHTEZCATL spoke in-depth with VICE’s Motherboard about all aspects of his life, from climate activism and empowering youth via speeches and books, to his upcoming album noting that, “If you look back through history, movements have songs. Artists have been, sometimes, the most prominent revolutionaries. Bob Marley was singing about peace and love, but also standing up for your rights. [Rapping] engages and wakes people up in a different way from when I’m speaking, and unlocks a different audience.”

“I’m telling my own story as a young artist, a young 17-year-old growing up in this world, and what the hell it’s like to process all that,” XIUHTEZCATL also told Rolling Stone (7/19/2017). “I’m beyond stoked to release this record, simply because it’s a massive step for me in the world of music. It’s an opening up to the world about who I am and what it is that I’m fighting for in a way that I never have before. A lot of the time you read an article or see a video about me and say ‘Oh, that’s the kid who spoke in the U.N., or that’s the kid who’s suing the government.’ The record is going to change the way the world sees me, and it’s going to change the way that I’ve told my story to the world.”

At the age of 7, XIUHTEZCATL began songwriting and performing as a means to reflect his world and activate his generation. His rousing story and performances have captivated a global audience, garnering millions of views on YouTube, and has been featured in major publications, including Billboard, Rolling Stone and the New York Times, among others. XIUHTEZCATL has also performed before the UN General Assembly, collaborated on stage and in the studio with Jaden Smith and Bassnectar, and appeared on “Real Time with Bill Maher” and “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” Additionally, he released the best-selling book, We Rise, this past September (2017).

Now 17, XIUHTEZCATL’s voice has been pivotal to organizing an international youth movement that has banned fracking in the state of Colorado, sued the federal government, and gained support from prominent figures and artists including: Chali 2na and Jurassic 5, Stic of Dead Prez, Raury, Ozomatli, Chance the Rapper, Leonardo Dicaprio, Willow Smith, and James Cameron. An old soul with a young heart, XIUHTEZCATL is taking on the world and waiting for no one. It’s time we catch on.

Catch XIUHTEZCATL on the road in the following cities:

DATE CITY VENUE

Supporting Nahko and Medicine for the People

Wed 2/28 Burlington, VT Higher Ground

Thu 3/1 Northampton, MA Pearl Street Ballroom

Mon 3/5 Syracuse, NY Westcott Theater

Fri 3/9 Charlotte, NC The Underground

Sat 3/10 Charleston, SC Music Farm

Mon 3/12 Birmingham, AL Saturn

Tue 3/13 New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s

Thu 3/15 Pensacola, FL Vinyl Music Hall

Fri 3/16 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Ponte Vedra Concert Hall