The Guardian

My music is a declaration of survival | Nathan Bird for IndigenousX

Seeing artists like Ice Cube speak out against racism was an eye-opener. Since then, my passion for hip-hop has never wavered
‘I took the values my family instilled in me and expressed them through music – it’s always been that way’ Photograph: Michelle Grace Hunder

My name is Nathan Bird; I am a proud Butchulla man and recording artist known as Birdz. I grew up in the small town of Katherine, Northern Territory, and ever since I was a young kid I’ve wanted to be a rapper.

I remember staying up late on the weekends just so that I could catch Rage play the standard half an hour of rap videos, before their programming would return to whatever was popular on the Australian charts at the

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