Minneapolis musician Tufawon has released a new EP, Gradient, and is donating all profits from Bandcamp sales to efforts opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The release comes as immigration enforcement continues to impact families across the United States. In Minneapolis, artists are using music to respond to current events and support organizing work.
Tufawon, born Rafael Gonzalez, is a rapper, producer and singer-songwriter based in Minneapolis. He produced Gradient himself, using beats and live instruments. The EP draws from hip hop and R&B and includes Native music elements. It is available on streaming platforms and Bandcamp.
All proceeds from Bandcamp sales will be donated to on-the-ground efforts fighting ICE until further notice, according to Tufawon.
“It’s heartbreaking to see my home under attack as innocent people of color are the target of such extreme violence. I could be abducted by ICE at any minute, but I am not afraid. What we learned in 2020 during the uprising when George Floyd was killed was that we have each other. We trained and built strength through organizing, protest, art and mutual aid. Minneapolis does not back down, and I wholeheartedly believe we will defeat fascism and rise above. We have no other option,” Tufawon said.
Tufawon describes Gradient as both a music project and a form of resistance. He is Dakota and Boricua, with Taino heritage, and his work reflects Indigenous history and present-day experience.
The EP explores Indigenous existence across time, from creation to the future.
“Indigenous people exist in every shade,” Tufawon said. “Long before colonization, we were trading, innovating, intermarrying, and influencing one another. This project is about who we are beyond that era. It highlights ancestral teachings through a contemporary medium.”
The project also tells Tufawon’s personal story as an artist from the South Side of Minneapolis, while emphasizing connections to land, spirit, and community.
