Litefoot was born Gary Paul Davis in Upland, California. He was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, although of Chichimeca (northern Mexican indigenous) ancestry. He has lived in Seattle, Washington since 1997. Litefoot was the first Native American to perform rap music, calling his style of hip hop "tribalistic funk." As the popularity of rap music has spread throughout American Indian reservations, Litefoot has become one of today's best known and respected Native American entertainers and leaders.
Litefoot was the first Native American to perform rap music,[citation needed] calling his style of hip hop "tribalistic funk." As the popularity of rap music has spread throughout American Indian reservations, Litefoot has become one of today's best known and respected Native American entertainers and leaders. He has won six Native American Music Awards, his most recent for Artist of The Year.
Litefoot has also appeared in Hollywood films, such as The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Kull the Conqueror (1997), and Adaptation (2002), and several independent films, including 29 Palms(2002); The Song Of Hiawatha (1997); and The Pearl(2000). He has also appeared on the television programs: C.S.I.: Miami, Family Law, and Any Day Now.
Litefoot produces and hosts his own nationally distributed hip hop and R&B radio show called Reach The Rez Radio, which debuted in 2005. The program can be found at www.reachtherezradio.com and is aired weekly through Native Voice One Satellite Network. Litefoot has several very successful clothing lines which he produces. The most known being the brand, "Native Style?."
Litefoot annually spends months of his time working on various reservations across the United States and Canada. His most recent music and speaking tour was the "Reach The Rez Tour." This annual project lasted one year, 54,000 miles, and 211 events across the United States. The Reach The Rez Tour will begin again in the Spring of 2007. Litefoot has released ten albums in the past twelve years. Litefoot's newest CD, Relentless Pursuit, is scheduled to be released in late 2007 and will be his first to enjoy nationwide distribution.