“Growing Pains” by Hyper-T

Check out Inuit rapper Hyper T‘s first rap video, “Growing Pains” (2014) that I made with him and some of the great people at Mamisarvik Treatment Centre in Ottawa this past weekend. Vimeo and Youtube versions.

I first met Hyper-T (aka. Adam Tanuyak) when he was a youngster growing up in Chesterfield Inlet, NT. I lived there and in Rankin Inlet for two years in the 1990s. Since that time Hype has grown into a beautiful lyricist and performer – skills born in part, he says, from his struggles with many demons.

Mamisarvik, or “healing place”, is a facility where Inuit “clients” receive treatment for trauma and addiction over an 8-week intensive program. It’s a one-of-a-kind facility in the South that is not receiving adequate funding for the amazing services they provide. I made a documentary for CBC about Mamisarvik last year.

In addition to shooting some scenes for “Growing Pains” at Mamisarvik, Hype met an Inuit fellow named Brian there from Arctic Bay, NT. Brian, we learned, is recovering from a serious suicide attempt eight months ago and wanted to show Hype for the first time in public what he could do…rap in Inuktitut.

What happened next was truly astonishing to us all. Watch Hype’s meeting with Brian here.

Growing Pains
Words & Music by Hyper-T
(produced by JayB)
Film by David Ridgen

Verse 1

Black clouds surrounds my walls like a prison/
writtens unlock the cage from holding my shit in/
hate I can’t take control of the twists and turns, son/
miss and learn, shit the worse, So I wish to burn one/
older u get, chucking boulders with no rest/
told u so is something that I’ll never forget/
or let the bullshit, come in between who I really am/
treat my haters like a slut, go ahead and suck my flem/
a battle with my shadow on shit’s creek with no paddle/
digesting more than I can handle with no asshole/
fast forward in 10 years, I ain’t a dead horse/
spitting on tracks just to keep my bed warm/
pain, comes in easier than walking through the front door/
oh lord give me the strength for this blood sport/
show me the path underneath these broken dreams/
til then I fly, looking down smoking leaves/

Chorus

Growing Pains the water that takes us to see tomorrow
what doesn’t kill me make me stronger/
growing pains, daily living, slowly gaining wisdom/
fighting for my right, my heart beat with the rhythm/

Verse 2

Constant dreams of happiness, I laugh at this/
I ask a wish to quickly get passed this bitch/
I need a real dose, so my mind still closed/
I keep on banging my head onto the steal post/
insanity, thats pushing me away from my family/
the cursed of suicide is constantly after me/
I know this is blasphemy, but would u blast for me?/
had a friend ask of me/
if I can kill him, if I was willing/
right out of the blue chilling, smoking eating some chicken/
please take me outta this misery, he said/
I aint making history, I’m better off dead/
a few years later, dude became a teacher/
now a feature to in my verse to teach ya/
we all break down, on the same path/
its what we learned in the past, is how we get pass/