(Geo AKA The Voice / Viberate)
How do I even begin with Geo. A prolific wordsmith weaving together his Secwépemc and Cree heritage with dance beats and INSANE rapping poetry. Because it is poetry. You need listen a mere minute before you agree.
George Ignace (aka Geo) has his hat in many circles. Visual art, written published works, film projects, practicing his traditional culture through harvesting and processing traditional foods, and then of course his music. He joined the popular group The Melawmen Collective in 2007. This collective was formed with the goal of creating connections between Indigenous People and all others through music and story. As stated on their webpage, “Developing our shared historical consciousness toward what the Secwépemc call ‘The Human Beings’.”
The first time I met Geo was at Ignite the Arts Festival in 2023 in Penticton, BC. He had just come from a previous festival where he’d buggered up his knee and was now sporting some much-hated crutches. But even broken and healing, he was a notably good time. Raising his crutches as pointing emphasis during his performances, leaning shoulders up balanced on these sticks, and still managing to hold a drink in one hand and the mic in the other. Oh Geo.
You might see Geo this summer at 2 Rivers Remix Festival. Hosted by a member of The Melawmen Collective, this is a FREE festival of Contemporary Indigenous Music and Culture. If you live in BC, add this beautiful event to your list. This is an all ages Moveable Feast hosted on the St’uxtews Secwépemc territory live and streamed. This summer it takes place on July 5-6th, 2025. You can find more information through the links below.
I reached out to Geo to ask about how he started down the music path:
“I was 8. Started off with poems. Had a whole binder of Tupac. He inspired me.”
Geo’s music has an oddly soft sound, his voice adding scruff and texture, and his poetry hitting deep realms. I swear Geo’s rhyming always blows my mind – in an Eminem ‘Rap God’ style of whipping out ideas so fast and having it flow together.
Check out Geo’s album “The Big Picture” on Spotify. Keep your eyes out for an upcoming New Music Now podcast on our page, as Geo will be featured in one of the upcoming episodes!
Click the links before for more about Geo:
Written by Volante Matheson, Radio Arts & Entertainment at BCIT
Contact: vmatheson1@my.bcit.ca