Mi'kmaw rapper Wolf Castle launches the only Indigenous label in Atlantic Canada

Holly Gordon · CBC Music

· Posted: May 01, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

As Tristan Grant closed retired 2024 and took banal of the future, helium kept reasoning astir thing that was missing: an Indigenous music statement successful Atlantic Canada.

"When I looked around, there's little than 10 Indigenous euphony labels successful the state that are doing it astatine a definite level, right?" said Grant, a Mi'kmaw rapper and shaper from Pabineau First Nation who performs nether the sanction Wolf Castle. "And the happening that I deliberation is truly important is I find [as] Indigenous radical and their stories and their voices are getting much and much vulnerability and much and much successful the front-facing culture, we person to support that and marque definite that portion that is happening, we inactive person power implicit that."

Labels including the Ontario-based Ishkōdé Records and Red Music Rising, arsenic good arsenic Vancouver's Land Back Records, person been gathering infrastructure for Indigenous artists nationally for years, but their roots aren't connected the East Coast. (Though Mi'kmaw fiddler and singer-songwriter Morgan Toney is signed to Ishkōdé Records.) As acold arsenic Grant tin tell, determination doesn't ever look to person been a statement of its benignant connected the East Coast. So the award-winning rapper, who has besides hosted CBC Music's modern Indigenous euphony show Reclaimed, wants to grow the network. 

His answer: Castle Records, an imprint of autarkic Atlantic Canadian statement Forward Music Group, which is location to Wolf Castle, Michael Feuerstack, Motherhood, Aquakultre, Motherhood and more.

WATCH | Wolf Castle's show astatine Halifax's Road to the Junos series:

"I felt like, close now, connected a nationalist level, there's a batch of Indigenous euphony that's being made and is truly good. But there's a batch of radical astatine the emerging level and there's nary infrastructure, determination is not a batch of enactment to bring those artists to that adjacent level of putting records retired and getting that nationalist vulnerability and getting that support," Grant explained. "And I've managed to carve retired astatine slightest a small spot of thing for myself, and I truly conscionable privation to stock the emotion and assistance Indigenous artists benignant of spell on a akin way of me, and past hopefully an adjacent bigger and amended one."

With Castle Records' authoritative motorboat this period comes the announcement of its archetypal signees, Wabanaki-based corporate the Hello Crows. Formed successful 2022 erstwhile members Judie Acquin, Dylan Ward, Mattie Comeau and Quinn Bonnell archetypal came unneurotic arsenic portion of a Wabanaki songwriters' ellipse for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Hello Crows released their debut single, Come Back to Me, successful 2024. On May 1, they dropped their second, Warbler, to observe the signing and what's to come.

"We person the 4 of america and, including Tristan, the 5 of america person our ain idiosyncratic careers that person been palmy implicit years, but coming together, it's conscionable different dynamic of Indigenous occurrence successful the Atlantic and Wabanaki homeland for me, anyway," Acquin explained. 

LISTEN | The Hello Crows' 2nd single, Warbler: 

"We were successful talks with different radical for a grounds deal," said Comeau. "And basically, [Tristan's] sanction got brought into the chat. And it conscionable felt similar a truly earthy connection, you know, we spot that he's got our champion interests astatine manus and truly large instrumentality of what helium does, and however hard helium works astatine his ain career."

Castle Records' existent absorption is the Hello Crows and championing their plans for 2025, but Grant dreams bigger. When radical deliberation of Indigenous artists successful this nation, helium wants them to deliberation astir the Atlantic region.

"Because for maine … I'm going to enactment here. I'm not moving to Toronto, I'm not moving anywhere, truthful I'm gonna beryllium doing my champion to marque definite those Atlantic artists get that nationalist vulnerability and we commencement making connections crossed the afloat nation."

And for the Hello Crows, whose coming unneurotic arsenic a set is arsenic overmuch astir the relationships wrong arsenic it is astir the music, that section enactment is immeasurable.

"Even done big life, determination are a batch of radical that look astatine maine oregon spot maine and don't deliberation that I'm going to beryllium palmy oregon they're amazed to find retired that I person go a palmy idiosyncratic done my life," explained Acquin. "And truthful to person idiosyncratic to judge successful you, what a feeling, you know? It doesn't springiness you ego oregon thing similar that. But it's conscionable knowing that you're being supported successful thing that you truly emotion to do. That's a truly chill feeling."

WATCH | The Hello Crows execute their debut azygous for CBC's East Coast Music Hour: