A hip-hop journey rooted in identity

By Robert Bettis
Navajo Times

WINDOW ROCK – Cecil Tso, known in the music world as Tsoh Tso, is a hip-hop artist, producer, and DJ whose artistry is deeply intertwined with his Navajo heritage and personal experiences.

Based in Flagstaff with family from the Grand Falls area, Tso entered the local hip-hop scene in 2012. From collaborative projects with groups like An Illustrated Mess and CoCec to his contributions to the Fang Over Fist music collective, Tso has built a career emphasizing community and cultural expression. Now, with his debut solo album, Finding Our Balance, set to release on Feb. 18, 2025, Tso steps forward to tell a story uniquely his own.

Tso is Bit’ahnii and born for Bilagáana. His maternal grandfather is Naakaii Dine’é and his paternal grandfather is Bilagáana.

A tribute to family and heritage

For Tso, Finding Our Balance is more than an album – it’s a deeply personal exploration of identity, grief, and resilience. Dedicated to his loved ones, including grandparents Cecil and Linda Tso, the album reflects the stability and sense of home they provided him. “Despite whatever craziness was happening in my corner of life, they always made sure I knew that I had a home,” Tso shared. The album also honors his mother, Stacy, and brother, Dustin, whose untimely passings continue to shape his journey. “I try to carry a piece of them with me every day,” he said.

This sense of heritage and connection is woven into every beat and lyric of the album, some songs even titled in Diné Bizaad. Tsoh Tso’s Navajo identity plays a central role in his creative process, grounding his music in the themes of belonging, community, and personal growth. “Whether it’s a liminal space, sense of melancholy, or simple dissociation, I’ve always felt neither here nor there,” Tso explained. “Finding Our Balance is a call to that—a reflection of my cultural identity, my relationship with death, and the experience of losing loved ones.”

A labor of love

The creation of Finding Our Balance was a transformative journey for Tso. He began the project in early 2023 and completed it almost a year later, just as his grandmother was preparing his family for her passing. “Nothing about this album was easy, and throughout the process, I probably quit two or three times,” Tso admitted. Despite these challenges, the album became a testament to perseverance and artistic integrity.

Tso’s career has long been created through collaboration, and this album is no exception. While it’s a solo project, he worked closely with trusted partners, choosing them based on personal connections rather than popularity. “Contrary to the concept of a solo album, there was a team behind this, and it couldn’t have happened without them,” Tso said. “For the most part, everything was done in isolation. I’d make the beats and send them off to collaborators individually, and no one would hear what the other person was doing until the end. There was a lot of trust between everyone, and in the end, it all worked out.”

Rooted in community

Beyond the personal narrative, Finding Our Balance represents Tso’s lifelong commitment to the community. As a key advocate for hip-hop in Flagstaff, he has hosted radio shows, organized concerts, and even spearheaded a music festival in 2022. His work aims to amplify both the genre and the voices within it, creating spaces where music and culture intersect.

“I’ve always lent myself to whatever my partner needed to express, and I conveyed my emotions in parallel to them through beats,” Tso explained. But this project challenged him to center his own voice. “When faced with the challenge of putting together what would be my debut full length as my own artist, I had to figure out what I had left to say.” The result is an album that balances the collective power of collaboration with an intimate portrait of self-reflection.

Looking ahead

Set to be announced on Jan. 21, through the indie label Fake Four Inc., Finding Our Balance will debut on Bandcamp before arriving on major streaming platforms on Feb. 21 Tso hopes the album resonates with listeners as both a personal expression and a universal story. “We all have different experiences in life, but together, I think we were able to create a body of work that tells a complete story front to back,” he said.

Through Finding Our Balance, Tsoh Tso not only shares his journey but also invites others to reflect on their paths. Rooted in his Navajo heritage and shaped by life’s challenges, the album stands as a testament to resilience, community, and the enduring power of music.

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