Blackfeet, Salish rapper’s new album celebrates culture, identity

Salish and Blackfeet hip-hop artist Shadow Devereaux (known on stage as Foreshadow) said that while his new album has been in the making “for forever,” it wouldn’t have been possible without support from a new grant available in Montana. 

“Perfect Timing,” Devereaux’s first solo album, comes out Tuesday. With seven songs, it explores themes of family and identity. Devereaux’s single, “Sunshine,” is a catchy and uplifting song about resilience and hope. The music video follows Devereaux laughing and playing basketball with friends and family.

“Life can be dark, but the light will shine through,” he raps in the song. “It isn’t easy and it doesn’t get better, but we learn to sit back and adapt to the weather. Strain through the pain to get to the pleasure. We got one life, and it won’t last forever.”

Devereaux told Montana Free Press he wrote the song when he was “in a pretty dark place,” adding that songwriting sometimes functions as a form of therapy.

In another single, “Bring Them Home,” Devereaux raps alongside Dustin Walter (Ksk’staak’iinna), who sings in the Blackfoot language. The song centers on the Blackfeet Nation’s release of wild buffalo on tribal lands near Chief Mountain, an area of cultural significance on the reservation. Devereaux infuses the Blackfoot language in his lyrics, mentioning iinii (buffalo), Piikani (a band of the Blackfoot Confederacy) and Natosi (sun).

“We brought ‘em home, now Chief has the missing keys,” he raps in the song as Native drums boom. “Hooves on the ground, we’ve returned what our spirits need. They run the plains, we feel the breeze. Overcome the pain, we heal when we see them freed. We won the battle but still had to fight the war. Restoration of our culture’s what we’re fightin’ for.”

At a time when tribes nationwide are working to engage younger generations in language and culture revitalization, Devereaux said hip-hop can be a powerful communication tool. Through song, he encourages younger listeners to learn more about their language, culture and identity. 

“That’s how we carry it on,” he said. “It makes you who you are.”

While Devereaux has been making music for years, he was never able to focus on his craft full-time. That changed thanks to the Billy Conway Artist Fund, a new program that supports Indigenous musicians in Montana by providing mentorship and a stipend for living expenses. 

Conway was a drummer in the rock band Morphine. He and his wife, Laurie Sargent, lived in the Shields Valley for 13 years and would often talk about how they could best support emerging Native musicians. When Conway died four years ago, Sargent hoped to honor his legacy by uplifting other artists. 

She established the Billy Conway Artist Fund in 2024, and Devereaux is the first artist to participate in the program. 

The stipends allowed Devereaux to pay for child care for his 8, 5 and 2-year-old sons. Through the BCAF, Devereaux worked with Paul Durham, lead singer of the rock band Black Lab, and Grammy-winning producer Ty Acord (known as lophiile), to write, mix and produce his new album.

“I was able to just focus on being an artist,” Devearux said. “Never in my career have I gotten to do that.”

Hip-hop, Devereaux said, is a form of storytelling. In “Perfect Timing,” he hopes listeners come away with a fresh perspective of what it’s like to live and grow up on the Flathead Reservation. 

“I want people to know, no matter where you come from, you can do whatever you want,” he said.

Foreshadow and lophiile will play at an album release party at Top Hat in Missoula on March 28. Foreshadow will also play two shows at the Shane Lalani Center for the Arts in Livingston on March 30 with lophiile, Durham and Apsáalooke poet Lucy Real Bird. For more information, visit billyconwayartistfund.org. 

Foreshadow will also play at the Red Ants Pants Music Festival in July.

Nora Mabie is the Indigenous affairs reporter at Montana Free Press and can be reached at nmabie@montanafreepress.org.