“Dream big, work hard and never give up ” Next on Gallery America, we first met Oklahoma City rappers Little Mike and Funny Bone in a 2013 episode.

“Im Lil Mike, aka Big Faith ” “Really?

” “I thought we were doing the thing.

” Where they shared why their infectious rap music is both high in energy and positivity.

“We like to entertain and inspire.

” Now we met MikeBone again, to see how thing have changed after becoming TV stars on the hit comedy series “Reservation Dogs.

” Hello Oklahoma.

Im Robert Reid, and welcome to Gallery America, the show that brings you the best of art in Oklahoma and around the nation.

Today we have some special guests.

Lil Mike and Funny Bone, Oklahoma City rappers, and star from the TV series “Reservation Dogs.

” And old friends.

We met with them eight years ago right here on Gallery America.

Lets meet them again.

OK, hi guys.

hi guys.

How y'all doing here?

So we, things have changed since the last time we've seen you, um, eight years ago.

OK, hi guys.

hi guys.

How y'all doing here?

So we, things have changed since the last time we've seen you, um, eight years ago.

Man.

Dream big!

sir!

What was that like for you?

So, you know, we were nobody, but like, you know, we, we were working with, um, high-school students and, um, to try to, you know, put something together so they could put a music video out.

And we're always down to work with students.

We love kids.

We don't want none of our own, but we really like to entertain and inspire.

So it was a project that we were doing and we had the perfect song.

“Work hard, never give up.

” I mean, that brought us to where we're at now.

Work hard, never give up.

Hmm.

Yeah.

I mean, I mean, with any song that we do, we try to make it catchy so that people won't forget it or that people will catch on to something that sticks.

We like it sticks.

And let's let's revisit that.

So you ready to look back to 2013 and see Mike Bowen?

Let's do it.

Here it is.

Have a look.

Im Lil Mike, aka Big Faith and I thought we was doing the thing.

I was going to do the Uhh, all right.

All right.

We're going to get this.

Take 800.

“Oh!

Like a burnt up Mikebone, sing what you earned with the church, funk up, trunk up, we could buy a turnip.

Word up, from the red dirt up ” This is your boy, Lil Mike.

Im Funny Bone and together we are MikeBone!

“Tornadoes, and Bo Bos Chicken ” We've been doing this for about 16 years.

Plus we both started at the age of 12, which is weird because now we're not really twins.

We're not even the same age.

Yeah, and we're four foot nine, four foot eight.

We're the only ones in our family that are height challenged, as I would say.

Can't really call ourselves midgets.

We tried to get that money.

They said we were too tall.

You know, people like when they first see us, they'll be like, I know y'all do something, but what do y'all do?

And then when we do it, they're like, y'all perform like y'all are big.

“I treat the haters like a basketball fade away MikeBone we represent O-City, turn it up like were in O-City put your hands up in the club like in O-City... ” What hip hop or rap is to me is a form of poetry done to music.

The style we do, we would call it “crunk, ” which means high-energy music that makes people want to jump around and dance.

[Sing] People sometimes refer to us as Christian rappers, which we kind of are.

Would I like to say we're just rappers that happened to be Christian.

So we like have songs about partying cause we do.

Um, but we don't smoke or drink.

So, you know, we let people know, you know, we party, but we still love God.

“Im a Christian from the hood ” Poetry can be used in singing, screaming, choirs but with hip hop, it's more, you speak your mind to a beat.

The secret is the streets we live.

It can be your strength and weakness.

Um, I go hard.

Like I don't know what defeat is Ooh!

Go hard without no cussing, so aint no need to bleep this.

Yes.

Me and Mike, I think we're in this because rap is an art form and you know, you take responsibility for this art form and spit something that's going to affect somebody in a positive way.

You know, it's gonna change the life, you know, in a good way and not killing nobody, lyrically and killing their mindset.

You know, it, it's not gonna matter that you didn' kill them.

It's gonna matter that you didn't save him.

Hear what he said?

Deep.

I joined a group and a middle school, and we were putting together skits to perform at elementary school to influence the kids, to stay out of gangs and stuff like that.

I did a poem to a beat and one of the little kids came up and said, I like that rap.

You did, and I just thought about it.

My man, I should probably try rapping [raps] He's five years older.

So he started his rap thing about the age of 12.

I started to kind of emulate him, you know, my bigger brother, sorry, short joke.

I get it.

Older brothers.

Anyways.

So he kind of put me in as like a little act so he could get some breath after his show.

And while hes switching out the songs or whatever, and I'd go up there and tell a joke or do something funny.

And then I slowly started to write my own stuff and hopping on the songs and we just kind of, it just kind of grew from there.

[Raps] To me, I didn't see myself as a short person.

I just saw myself as I am one of them.

I just want to be, you know, in the crowd saying hello to people, make sure you know, I'm not getting beat up.

My name is Jay LaVon the second.

And our program is Dream Big Community Outreach Program.

And what we do is we go into local schools and we talk to the youth about dreaming big and just reaching for those goals that have been placed in that spirit.

And Mike, Mike and Bone Veep fit into tha because our theme today is being comfortable, being yourself and being different.

And obviously, they're, you know, visually, they're different.

But when you really get down to brass tacks and you talk to them, they're just like everyone else.

“If somebodys not going to accept you for who you want to be and what you do then theyre not worth talking to So be you, be different, be comfortable.

” I just love dealing with the kids Cause I mean like if you really gonna change somebody, you gotta hit them when they young.

Um, because when, once they're old, their mindset is like, Oh, this is me as I do things we try to entertain and educate at the same time, you know, and that is just something that gets the kids attention.

You know, we start we've been coming like once a month.

We've been building up their trust and trust and trust because what our our major goal is is to be able to get smaller groups of children so we can do one on one mentoring and actually cover the topic.

But it's hard to just get kids to open up to you.

You have to gain their trust somehow.

[Raps] “Thats why youre back because your backs on the wall ” If you really want to use your talent and be on the same stage that anyone else can be on and be like, Yes, I feel right here, and then you use it for a purpose and you'll you'll feel a whole lot different than getting on stage and going “they're all screaming for me.

” “Why you making like an undercover cop now, lemme see you dance ” When you realize that when you do something that influenced somebody else in a positive way, you see somebody's life change There's no other feeling like this.

I just really think that they're just because they are comfortable with who they are.

They project.

So they really have a presence about him and they carry themselves so big.

And so I think that that's maybe that's a message within the youth that, you know what?

I do have a voice that I do have something to say And maybe if I say it the right way and loud enough that someone will hear it and just how what I want to show, what to do, what to do.

Yes.

Some artists, though, do their thing and go.

But we like to stick around and, you know, try to get everybody, you know, signed whatever they need, sign and take pictures with whoever only take pictures with.

And, you know, just because we want them to feel like, you know, hey, there's some really nice guys, man.

I like hanging out with him.

I like.

And I look at what we're doing here is we're working with Mike bone to to develop a song for Dream Big What we want it to be is a it's kind of an anthem.

Something is going to get them the dance, but also inspire them.

We'll be like our hype song, so every time they hear it, they'll be like, Oh, here comes dream big.

You know, they saw that how it influenced the student, and they wanted their own theme song for their program.

My name is silk and I'm a producer.

I work with a lot of artists.

I engineer, mix master.

I've been on my bones since about 2004.

We bought beats from different talented people here in the city, but his beats just like they fit with us perfectly.

Yes.

There's something about his beats that just, you know, the, the versatile, that's what it is.

Theyre versatile and were versatile.

They have catchy lyrics that you can hear the children kind of singing to themselves and things like that and just really inspiring themselves.

And they don't even know that that's what they're doing.

And I really appreciate it because it's clean, positive rap, fun pit music.

I think they.

I'm ready to have confidence.

Let's go.

So, yeah, we picked the beat.

Danny Marie and Jay, they like it.

We like it.

If it's perfect, we get the beat.

We go to his brother's studio and we just get to work.

“Fall in line Im talking, anybody can dream ” We were in there for a cool minute Cause we had just finished writing it down.

I mean, we were we were in there and I was still writing.

You know, we had the couple hours before I had the last four lines that I had to write because it was I was trying to push everything out.

And they you hop on the mic and it's something you just wrote down.

I mean, you kind of going over it again, like, Oh man, let me let me do that.

I messed up.

I messed up “Your future aint been wrote down.

You can change it right now.

Correct your mind and the rest will fall in line.

I'm talking anybody that got a dream that ” Uhh, that was hot too.

What I like about their music is it's positive.

It's always a good message.

Is crunk, you know, turn up music.

You can play it anywhere.

Pretty much anybody can like, you know, I like working with them, like, cool to hang out with real good people still trying to reach my goals.

, Dani and LaVon knows, you got ” The “Dream Big ” concept is not necessarily a dream, but a goal they want to accomplish, not just sitting aside and, and letting your life pass you by.

What's the worst that can happen.

You might be somebody.

“Trying to live to the fullest.

Man its like no one else to blame Everybody got to learn some time ” Definitely proud of who they are and what they do.

And it shows in their music.

They care less what people think about them, really like to see them go a long way.

And I really see them going a long way.

“I dream big, Im ready.

My confidence is deadly.

” As long as they love it, and they think it's going to be effective.

I think it's a nice little song and it's catchy.

.

I'm glad it turned out the sound of it because I feel like if you rush something, it just won't come out.

Right.

But I mean, that one kind of came out, right?

So I used to dream that I was big a lot.

One morning I woke up and I was like, man, I still can't reach the top of the fridge.

But in my dream I could.

This boy...

Lets go!

Dream big, work hard and never give up Dream big, work hard and never give up Dream big, work hard and never give up It was a If people dont laugh at your dreams, they aint big enough Dream and never give up Dream big, work hard and never give I'm making the Jesus bid, and I say he going to do just hard isn't what you did.

I might fall off but never gonna quit comin up on some better biz A man is worth his wager chance taker, dream chaser, we got plenty of haters Nah, you all aint gonna hold me back, Im a get mind like you owe me dat I'm going to carry out on me and tell me to still go for the test, still trying to reach my goals, getting the bomb.

And Danny knows you got to work off you, your to approach and never give up.

I dont really care where you all throw me at Throw me back, I still going for the task Still trying to reach my goals.

Jay LeVon and Dani knows, you gotta work hard for your dream to approach and never give up on bumpy roads Im planning on doing things, handle my biz you do the same No diggty no doubt, no game, still getting it put it out no shame Trying to live to the fullest man, rely on self, no one else to blame We aint scared to fail in tryin, everybody gotta learn sometime Im planning on doing things, handle my biz you do the same No diggty no doubt, no game, still getting it put it out no shame Trying to live to the fullest man, rely on self, no one else to blame We aint scared to fail in tryin, everybody gotta learn sometime So we're here in the OTA studios with Lil Mike and Funny Bone.

We're making the song.

Well, the same year you guys did your episode, AGT had us on and then so it was like a worldwide debut and having you guys show you episode.

It was just, you can call me.

It was awesome.

The feedback was awesome.

So we would get people that would come up to us and go, I just saw you on TV and we were like America's Got Talent.

They were like, no PBS We were like, Oh yeah, it's crazy.

And more about America's Got Talent.

I mean, I can't imagine being judged by Howard Stern, Heidi Klum.

So once we got in there, we weren't really nervous about performing for them.

When we were trying to do was just trying to impress the crowd.

We at this stage it just comes natural, given the show now is 24 years now we've been doing and yeah, we hit the stage.

You know, no matter who's watching, we just do it.

So I was like, Yo, let's treat it like we're performing at a church and we'r trying to get kicked out.

And I was like, Go hard this charge of the night.

I didn't think it was going to go through, but I mean, we performed on and they liked it and they were like Vegas.

I like the fact that it gave us an experience, the TV industry, all that goes on behind the scenes because we found out a lot of stuff we didn't know.

Yeah, like, I mean, there's a lot of acting involved behind the camera that would come in useful later Yeah, right.

Yeah, definitely.

So I saw my first Mike bne show recently at the grand opening of the first Americans Museum.

And I want to say, first of all, hundreds of people all ages dancing, waving hands, everyone has a big smile on their face, right?

And it makes me kind of think everyone has a little more crun in than they realize, you know, is that why?

I mean, how are you able to do this?

How are you able to perform music is, I think it's like a universal language, and it's something that speaks to the soul to get your soul moving and like connects you with the spiritual realm.

I mean, yeah, and not only that, it's like we listen to all kinds of music So like, we try to incorporate that in our hip hop style.

So like, people will be like, I don't even like rap, but for some reason I like your songs all the time.

That's because I wrote it in the style of Metallica.

And your message is you have a very positive message.

Talk about your religious beliefs.

You talk about like empowerment.

Like we talk about the dream big and sometimes very serious social issues.

How are you able to balance that being indigenous?

There's a sense of integrity and honor and everything that we do.

And I mean, we grew up spiritual and always believing in God and creator and trying to do right, as you know these figures.

You know, he had a little rough road at the beginning, but we learned quick and especially from others.

So like what I'm saying is like, you don't have to make the mistake to learn from it.

You can just watch other people and be like, Yeah, let me not do that.

People respond.

I mean, there was standing room only to meet you after the show.

Oh yeah, yes.

Yeah.

And there's already so much music out there that's influencing negativity.

Mm hmm.

And we want to be on the other side of that because, you know, you have to leave a legacy for the world.

And if your legacy was like, oh, you know, selling drugs or making a booty, pop it just like, what do you want to be remembered for for reals?

There is a TV show that you're on.

I suspect you remember a reservation dogs This has been, you know, a hit show on Hulu.

It's filmed on location in Oklahoma, co-created by Oklahoma filmmaker Sterling Harjo.

Yeah, it has won the hearts of Oklahoma, the country and beyond.

Huge hit.

How did you get involved in this?

Well, due to the COVID 19, yeah, COVID came through and messed up all our tour date and then.

Just like, what are we going to do?

So like I want to say, almost the whole year we were on the end of our rope with our friends and then surviving off of streams and merchandise, right?

So our manager told us something was like, Yo, there's an audition going on in Tulsa if y'all want to get on it.

And so we're like, Yeah, have them send us.

It's a paying gig.

Let's do it.

Yeah, if it's a paying gig let's do it.

So yeah, we got the script and didn't think we were going to get a callback and we got call back and that was like, You're exactly what we're looking for.

And I'm like, Yeah, oh, when we shot the pilot, I don't think it was picked up by Disney then.

But like once they saw the pilot, Disney picked it up.

And then the next time we came back to finish out the season, we had the size of Disney contract.

So I'm like, This is going to be real.

And I didn't think it was going to be like a hit for everyone else I knew was going to be hit in the indigenous community.

That kind of shocked us, that the world relates to it.

Like we got people in Greece, the saying they can relate to it.

So I mean, it's where people say, you know, why is that?

Do you think that it's I think it just humanizes the Native American community and it shows that we all deal with the same issues.

I mean, it's like we haven't had that outlet for indigenous, for the indigenous community to be expressive except through like music or art.

And now that we have film and TV, you know, we get to tell our own stories and not have somebody write it for us of what they think of us So it's for people who haven't seen the show yet.

Let's cry for them now.

But for people who haven't seen the show yet, tell us who you are on it.

You know, what are your characters?

What is your park on the reservation?

Um, we're the two brothers that kind of like, keep an ear out on the street to what's going on in the neighborhood and we roll around on these bikes.

We are spread the word and he's Moe's.

We go amigo.

And we just, I don't know what age the characters are.

They were possibly really young, but they went for really short.

Instead, we were twin brothers, I guess, on the show in and we rap also on the show.

So I like to say we play rez versions of myself, right?

So it seems like you were born for this role.

Oh yeah, perfect.

The crazy thing it was like it was made was, Have your lives changed since then?

Are you able to go to the store without people coming out saying it?

It's getting a little much because it's like a meet and greet everywhere we go.

It's always been that way for the last 20 years, but it's it's yes, it's doubled the first day we it came out.

Um, no, no, no.

The second it was about two days after we went to go get some milk and almond milk and we were in line and there was another line to take selfies.

And so we were getting to the checkout line and then a line for us taking pictures at the checkout line.

So that's kind of where we're at.

eight years ago is when we first met with you.

eight years from now, what do you hope you dream big?

What's dream bigger?

What do you hope to accomplish in the next eight years when you're look back?

I'm ready to do some movies, get a, you know, a nice big movie because everybody keeps referring to reservation dogs as the movie within you guys in And I'm like, I wish you was a movie that would be pretty cool.

Uh, so somebody, I know somebody said since Disney picked y'all up are y'all gonna become Marvel characters or... That'd be awesome.

Yeah, we be on one of the Star Wars.

Um, yeah, I wouldnt mind being an ewok Guardians of the Galaxy fighting with rocket So we're the same size as a fair fight.

Disney World amusement park ride Mike Bone What that would be?

Yeah, maybe a pinball machine still have yet to do a world tour.

Oh, we got a lot of fans in Tokyo and Japan and Greece and Australia, so I'm ready to give them a live show.

So that's something on my to do list.

Yeah, I know.

I know.

Some of the film crew was saying, Yeah, I deserve a spinoff.

So I was like, Everybody, everybody's big.

Thank you.

So much, sir, for joining us to look forward to watching the spin offs, amusement pinball machines we're in, we're in new albums, world tours.

And by all means, go see them because I promise you there's a little bit of crunk in you.

You may not know it yet, because I've learned that too.

Thanks for being with us.

Yay.

You can see more music and videos from Mike Bohn on their website Mike Bohn Medium.com and follow him on Instagram at Mike Bohn Music.

Don't forget to watch past episodes of Gallery America at OETA .

TV slash Gallery America and follow Gallery America online for daily updates of Oklahoma art news on Instagram at OTA Gallery or on Facebook.

Jeff, thank you so much for watching.

We'll see you next time.

Until then, stay ARTY Oklahoma,