Violence, incarceration, police corruption and positivity in the face of adversity – these are the underlying dynamics of Frank “Young Kidd” Fontaine’s first full-length album, I Go Hard.

Released in late May by Winnipeg’s CTL Records, the album is the product of both triumph and struggle – a representation of both oppression and the mindset required to overcome it.

“I make music for people who grew up in my neighbourhood and went through the same things that I went through. My goal is to keep it positive for everyone… I want to influence the younger generation to turn to music instead of crime.”

The first track on Young Kidd’s album is entitled Shoutouts, and it pays tribute to his community, which he calls Central Winnipeg.

“When I say ‘Central’ I’m talking about the area in the middle of the city, the core area around the Salter Bridge [the Slaw Rebchuk Bridge]. Growing up there you see as lot of things.”

For a generation whose exposure to rap and hip-hop has been an indoctrination into the poverty, violence, bling and bravado preached by artists like Tupac and Notorious B.I.G., listening to Young Kidd is a reminder that such issues are not merely pop culture constructs. Many tracks on Hard address the tensions between Winnipeg law enforcement and the community, which are tangibly felt in the presence of prejudice and judicial apathy.

“I find that if you’re from where I’m from, you are targeted by the police. I’ve had to go through being pulled over every day. I’ve had my car searched. I feel that they target a certain area.”

Instead of embarking on the path towards career criminality, Young Kidd taps such unsavoury realities for musical inspiration. One of the album’s later tracks entitled, I Gotta Go touches on the anguish of imprisonment.

“I had a friend who was incarcerated for seven years. It made me think about how much I don’t want to go there.”

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Young Kidd is of both Aboriginal and Jamaican descent. His mother is originally from Sagkeeng First Nation, where he recently returned to perform.

Throughout the album, he rhymes about the challenges of growing up fatherless, lacking both money and resources.

Young Kidd began rapping in 2004 through a program offered at Tech Voc High School called Mike Check. Now that his career is officially underway, he is fully aware of the intense labour his vocation demands.

“I’m working really hard right now. I expect the second album to be out sometime at the end of August.”

For an artist whose first release came out no more than 12 weeks ago, Young Kidd’s prolific pace exudes ambition.

“In Winnipeg, there aren’t many artists out here doing what I do… There’s about a handful of us. For me, it’s not about mainstream success. I just want to share my struggles, to get my music out to people.”

Expect performances by Young Kidd sometime in September. You can find him online at www.reverbnation.com/youngkiddwinnipeg .

Story updated Aug. 19, 2009

Published in Volume 63, Number 30 of The Uniter (August 13, 2009)