2020-09-16

Artie Mendoza

Artie Mendoza (Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana)

Firefighter by day and rapper by night, Artie Mendoza (Kiid Truth) is a twenty-five-year-old Kootenai and Mexican who has been described as a “performer with a knack for rhythm and poetry.” Artie made the name “Kiid Truth” at the age of eleven based on his age and in his music he spoke the truth. At the age of nineteen, Artie finished up his first mixtape, The truth speaks for itself. Artie's goal in music is to take his talent to the next level while spreading positive messages through his music and speaking about what is going on at present. He says that the reason to do music is to express himself, to spread messages through his music and connect with people struggling in the same way he did. He has been very active in his community during COVID times and has been part of the social media campaign that the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes launched aiming to educate kids about COVID-19. 

Interviewed by Raquel Paraíso, 09/16/2020.

Raquel Paraíso

Music; United States; Covid-19 Pandemic

Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana

Musicians in America during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Society for Ethnomusicology