Stella Standingbear Releases GO MODE! Ahead of Rap Star 2 EP

Oglala Lakota artist Stella Standingbear released her new single “GO MODE!” and its official music video on Oct. 22. The song opens the next chapter of her career and leads into her EP Rap Star 2, out Oct. 29.

Standingbear made the song about a year ago, after her first NBA halftime show. It “felt like a milestone had been reached,” she told IND. That Phoenix Suns performance, with Indigenous Enterprise, is sampled at the start of the track. She tried a new cadence on the second verse and jokes that she “unlocked that flow” by shaking Young Thug’s hand at ComplexCon.

Directed by Anthony Ryan Johnson, the video features footage from Standingbear’s Off the Rez Tour across the U.S. and Canada, and a cameo by World Champion hoop dancer Eric Hernandez (Lumbee), who has performed as the lead in Cirque du Soleil’s Totem.

Her press release says the video “captures Stella’s rise as an artist while bringing Native American culture into mainstream music through a bold, modern lens.”

“GO MODE!” follows a strong run on U.S. radio. The remix of her 2025 single “Mmhmm,” featuring Paul Wall, spent nine weeks on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart and peaked at No. 31, a rare run for a solo Indigenous artist.

Born in Salt Lake City, Standingbear blends melodic alt-rap, R&B and pop, and she has built her rise independently. Her Off the Rez Tour, for which she chose emerging Native artists from each community as openers, included a Sept. 17 show at The Pearl in Vancouver with Natasha Fisher. She has also performed alongside Trippie Redd.

Rap Star 2 is out Oct. 29. The “GO MODE!” video is on Standingbear’s YouTube channel.