Harvey is honest, laid back and relaxed. He’s an OG warrior who has cemented his place in Indigenous hip-hop history as part of the trailblazing group, Tru Rez Crew. He’s calm and collected but as he tells it, this is a far cry from where he was just months ago. “I struggled. I still struggle. Cocaine. Alcohol. My life was a party”, he says. “I’m eight months sober though and I’m proud of that.” Harvey leans forward in his seat, “I never viewed it as a problem. It was always just a good time thing. It started when I was just young. After shows, it was party time. Hanging out with the boys, party time. Sunday night, party time. Late for work, party time. After a while it became an everyday thing.” Before he knew it, the limelight was behind him and grandkids lay before him. “I was still doing the same shit 20 years later. I’m a grandfather now. My kids were having kids. I was the one setting the example and I knew I had to change.” Even though he’s still new to his sobriety he insists he path is set, “I can’t go back to that. My wife, kids and grandkids need me and I need them.” When questioned with how he stays on his path he recalls a story from his past, “Seeing an old friend of mine who also lived a similar lifestyle was like looking in a mirror. It was a stark reminder of that life” he says. “But it’s not just fear of the past that keeps me sober, it’s the love and acceptance of my family through it all, that keeps me grounded. The acceptance for who I am now and who I always was.”
