Drezus (drē-zəˈs; born Jeremiah Manitopyes; August 28, 1982) is Plains Cree rapper and activist based in Calgary, Alberta.
War Party, a successful Native hip-hop group from the 90s, found themselves very impressed with the young rappers work after he laid down a 20-minute freestyle for them.
[2] 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."
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.
[4] 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.
Drezus, alongside Taboo with Mag7, officially won 'Best Fight Against The System" MTV VMA Award in Summer 2017.
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.
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.