Hailing from Pabineau First Nation in Mi’kma’ki (New Brunswick), the 24-year-old Wolf Castle, aka Tristan Grant, is a true renaissance artist. Gifted with a DIY spirit thanks to being raised on the reservation by a family of artists, musicians, and filmmakers, Grant taught himself to write music and play piano at the age of 11, and has released new projects—written, recorded, and produced mainly by himself—every year since he was 17. As a student of art history and fashion, his spitfire flow and precise production are as carefully constructed as haute couture, and every bespoke beat, rhyme, and hook has the flourish of a master craftsman, stitched together under the House of Wolf Castle. “Heart on my sleeve,” he declares. “Wear it as a war bonnet.”

As Wolf Castle goes supersonic in his tribal lands, his live delivery system—a stage presence filled with mesmerizing energy and refreshing realness—is forcing the rest of the world to take notice, too.