Lil Mike & Funny Bone room tell the story behind “Fist in the Air” in their own words: what they were hearing from Indigenous families in 2019–2020, why they believed the subject demanded a serious record,

In January 2020, Native News Online reported that Mike Bone had released a teaser for “Fist in the Air.” FunnyBone said he and Lil Mike wrote their own verses, that Paul Napash produced the beat, and that the completed track would feature Indigenous artist K.A.S.P. He described wanting to create a song with real weight after hearing stories surrounding MMIW and seeing awareness slideshows whose music, in their view, did not match the seriousness of the subject.

Their public description of the song emphasized prayer for missing and murdered Indigenous people, awareness, justice, searching, investigation, strength for families, and a desire to collaborate with MMIW and human-trafficking programs. The official single was released February 21, 2020. Later interviews continued to identify “Fist in the Air” as a song dedicated to raising awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous people.

This initial podcast "MMIW Epidemic Broken Trust & Corruption" takes a deeper look at the iconic song "Fist in the Air"