Bio

Tufawon (2 for 1) is a Dakota/Boricua rapper, singer songwriter, producer and teaching artist from Minneapolis. His name represents his mixed heritage, and his music is a raw, honest reflection of his life. A sound track that captures his personal struggles, dreams for the future, spirituality, and deep connection to the land and his people. Musically, he creates a broad spectrum of styles including hip hop, RnB, dancehall, reggaeton and afrobeats.​ Through his songs, he shares his experiences with love and confronts the complex realities of the world. Across Turtle Island, he teaches youth music production, songwriting and recording through his music production program for youth .WAVWARRIOR.

​

Tufawon was commissioned by The American Composers Forum to create his recently released EP “Gradient” as a part of the "Recomposing America" project and The Duluth Art Institute's exhibition "Fur Trade Nation and Ojibwe Adornment: Beads, Ribbon, fur, Cloth". Visitors at the Museum will be able to experience the exhibition while listening to his new EP.

​

He's spent years community organizing and touring the world. The most current fight against that ICE occupation in Minneapolis has kept Tufawon actively engaged in community as he helps with mutual aid efforts, protesting, community patrolling, and using his music platform as a vehicle to speak out against fascism. He continues touring and living out his dreams as an artist. He will be traveling to Europe in the spring of 2026 with a delegation of Minneapolis residents directly impacted by ICE. The tour is in collaboration with Break Free. He will be performing at concerts and along with the delegation, will be speaking out against financial institutions in Europe who are invested in ICE. 

 

He was awarded the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship a few years ago, one of his biggest achievements. He participated in the inaugural First Nations SongHubs and recorded with Indigenous artists from around the globe at the Abbey Road Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He was featured on the Breakfast Club and Hot 97 Ebro In The Morning speaking on issues that impact Native communities. He completed his first headlining tour in Europe “Resilience" with Nataanii Means. He actively stood in solidarity with the Black community during the 2020 Uprising after George Floyd was murdered by the MPD, and helped protect the Native Corridor from being looted in South Minneapolis. From fighting DAPL at Standing Rock to organizing efforts to Stop Line 3 to speaking at the United Nations in Switzerland, he continues to carry out his message and impact the people in a powerful way.

​​

 

Artistic Vision

​"I don't create for fame or attention. Music is a way of healing for myself. But I do want my music to reach people who would be moved by it. To inspire generations. I don’t package my art for mass consumption. I want it to spread like sage on the prairie. I’m influenced by the genres I listen to, and styles that are connected to my culture and beyond. My vision is rooted in the idea of liberation, using sound frequencies to make people feel free. To decolonize through ancestral and contemporary music. To make people dance and provoke thought. To interrogate and address issues that impact our communities. To make people laugh, cry, and feel raw emotion. Colonialism wants us erased, so my art is here to make us visible, project our voices, and to uplift the most marginalized. To embody the sacredness our ancestors gifted us. To evoke joy in the hearts of the people. When we feel joy, we are liberated. I aim to achieve this through music, not only as a form of expression, but as an act of resistance."