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Drezus (drē-zəˈs; born August 28, 1982, Jeremiah Manitopyes) is a rapper based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Drezus has many accomplishments in the field of music including awards for Best Music Video, Best Producer/Engineer, Best Rap/Hip Hop Album, and Indigenous Entertainer of the Year. These awards followed the success of his album, Indian Warpath, released in the summer of 2014. However, Manitopyes' life was not always filled with awards and recognition. Growing up, he searched for meaning, and on the journey to his musical discovery, he faced multiple jail stints and had others attempt to take his life. Now, 35 years of age, Manitopyes has found meaning in his journey and is working to share it with those who will listen.

Contents
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 * 1Early life
 * 2Music career
 * 2.1Early Career
 * 2.22000 - 2012
 * 2.32012 to Present
 * 3Artistry
 * 3.1Musical style
 * 4Personal Life
 * 4.1Activism
 * 5Discography
 * 6Awards and Nominations
 * 7References
 * 8External Links

Early life
Jeremiah Manitopyes was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on August 28th, 1982. His father, a traveling country singer, was quite absent in Manitopyes' life. As a result of such, he grew to despise guitars in his music. Instead, his taste was more suited for rap. He felt a personal connection to the music due to the life he lived, drinking 40s of malt and getting involved in the drug game from an early age.

His mother, hoping to save him from a life of violence and gang-banging, moved him away from the small town of Saskatoon to Calgary, a town on the come-up due to the discovery of oil. This move, however, did little to change Drezus' lifestyle, as he kindled new friendships with other Natives in the area. However, at the age of 17, his big break came. After sneaking into a Jamaican club in downtown Calgary, Manitopyes convinced the DJ to let him get on the mic for a bit. To quote Manitopyes himself, "In front of 300 Jamaicans, I started busting, and they were like, 'Who is this guy?" but they couldn't deny the flow." As a result of such, Drezus was born.

Early Career
After his success at the Jamaican club, word of Drezus began to spread. Running into them at another Calgary club, War Party, a successful Native hip-hop group from the 90s, also found themselves very impressed with the young rappers work after he laid down a 20-minute freestyle for them. One member of the group, Big Stomp, was especially impressed with the young rapper, pointing out the fact that Manitopyes was "a diamond in the rough." He was able to keep with the beat flawlessly and had no trouble flowing with the production.

2000 - 2012
As a result of impressing Stomp so effectively, Drezus was invited to start Rezofficial, which would include some of the former members of War Party. Their debut album, The Foundation, would go on to win the Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Best Rap/Hip-Hop album in 2004. Their big break would come in the form of an invitation to perform at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. However, Drezus was never able to make it. As a result of his second distribution charge, he was charged five years in a jail cell in Winnipeg.

2012 to Present
While attending a drug rehabilitation center in 2012, he took a cultural course which opened his eyes to the truth of his ancestry. As a result of such, he learned the songs of the Natives, and began to care about who he was as a person more than who he was on the streets. Although Manitopyes refers to this moment as one of the most eye-opening moments of his life, the real, single defining moment of his life would come soon after. After being released, he robbed a couple individuals in Winnipeg, but he didn't get away without repercussions. Their crew caught up to Manitopyes, robbed him of everything he had, and stomped him out. It was then that he decided he was done with this life forever.

“I had two choices: The choice to retaliate, which meant at least someone losing their life…or getting the fuck out of there,” he says. “It was a real ‘man-up’ moment.” As a result of this event, he moved back to Calgary where he found his family waiting for him, including a young son he had left behind. His life would forever change, as he started feeling a connection to the people he had once left behind. He had new perspective that would undoubtedly change his music, as demonstrated with the 2013 release of Red Winter. As a result of such album, Drezus has won multiple awards and been invited to visit and speak to government agencies such as the Calgary Youth Offender Center.

Since the release of Red Winter, Drezus has recognized the fact that songs like Warpath are not going to be played on the radio, but he says that now, he is exactly where he should be. The future of Drezus is yet to be seen.

Musical style
Manitopyes has compared himself to artists such as Public Enemy and N.W.A with his biggest influence of all time being Ice Cube. Some of his other influences, however, include Notorious BIG, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wu Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, and Run DMC. His early musical style was similar to War Party, a Native hip-hop group. He would write about the gang lifestyle, but as he grew older, after a couple jail stints, he reformed his music to act as a retelling of his story, with ties to his Native life and history.

Personal Life
Currently residing in Calgary, AB, Manitopyes has three children, two in Canada and one in New Mexico. He hope

Activism
Things Drezus has done for the native community

Discography

 * list
 * em
 * off

Awards and Nominations

 * list off awards in a list of tables
 * such that each table will list all
 * nominees that lost to our man
 * D money
 * probably will not be this long