Although Kipp Stone is a relatively new name to me personally, I quickly realized he isn’t a newcomer to the scene even slightly. After doing a bit of research, I found out that the East Cleveland native has been making major waves in the music industry for the better half of a decade, and he just continues to get better each and every year he continues to release music. While he has made some major moves throughout his career, it seems like teaming up with Chicago label Closed Sessions has to be one of his smartest decisions even though it was most likely a no brainer for him in general.
Last year, he released an album entitled HOMME, and fans were eating it up from the moment it hit the internet. This almost hour-long, 13-song project gave newcomers a fantastic look at Kipp’s versatile talents while also managing to continuously please his day one admirers. The fun doesn’t end there, though, because he decided to keep the album’s legacy alive and well by releasing a brand-new music video for “People Be Trash”, one of my personal favorite tracks on the album.
There’s just something about this song that speaks to me, and the relaxed, unruffled demeanor that Kipp exudes throughout the song is as inspiring as it is enthralling. The visual does an absolutely unbelievable job of matching the vibe of the record on all fronts, utilizing a soft filter over most of the shots that give it a more retro or old school inspiration that complements the melody of the record that sounds as if it was sampled.
In many of the shots throughout, there are various clones of Kipp, and while one of these beings is the one reciting the lyrics and keeping up with the song, the other replicas seem to be distracted or unaware of what is going on around them, daydreaming rather than participating in the moment like the twin seems to be doing. It almost seems as if the twin is an alter ego, and while the quiet, uninterested clone remains still and expressionless, the replica that is actually speaking is saying everything that’s on the other person’s mind, even if he had planned to keep this stress and these emotions bottled up inside.
While I have no clue if my explanation is anywhere even close to the end message that Kipp was aiming for, I feel as if he left that up for interpretation which is one of my favorite parts about this offering. Anyone can take away lessons from the lyrics themselves, but seeing these narratives come to life in such an abstract, conceptual way gives listeners a chance to take something different away with their own perspectives rather than being spoon-fed the actual message that’s trying to be conveyed. While Kipp is clearly not a newcomer even slightly, his music continues to transform and get better with each and every offering he gifts us, so make sure to get in tune with the latest music video for his song “People Be Trash” as soon as you possibly can.