Twitter: @Kipp_Stone
Write up below via Mass Appeal
1833. History buffs will call to mind that Andrew Jackson was sworn into his second presidency that year and Chicago was founded. But the number 1833 holds a different significance for the East Cleveland artist Kipp Stone. It’s the home address that he’s held close to his heart for several years. It’s inescapable when considering the impact that the immediate area has had on his outlook on life.
Since he signed to Closed Sessions, he’s been working on his debut project The Grand Design. Unattached to that, he released a new song today with us dedicated to his hometown and what it’s taught him. We spoke to him via email about the friends he saw make aberrant life decisions, depending on whose standards you’re going by. His imagery cuts to the dark emotions he’s felt too many times:
“One n*gga, two balls, three wishes/Four killers, a fifth of Henny, and three 6’s/Seven sins, eight ballers, I repent/Pussy n*gga, nine lives, Mac-10/They put the chrome to his dome like he Sisqo/Or they shoot the party up and cause Panic! at the Disco/Young and standing over the pot like where my wrist go?/Ghetto in his palm and his fist closed…”
Mass Appeal: What’s the significance of 1833 to you?
Kipp Stone: 1833 is who I am. It’s where I grew up and became the man I am today. It’s where I developed my core values, opinions, and knowledge. No matter where I have moved to or traveled to I’ve always found myself back in East Cleveland, Ohio.
You mention seeing people go through a rap phase then a crack phase. When did you decide that rapping wasn’t just a phase for you but a career choice?
That line came from knowing people that juggled music and the streets. There was a lot of good people living with bad circumstances. I was fortunate enough to know some really good people that made it their business to try to keep me away from that. Having motivation from my city and the people around me is what reinforced my love for music. East Cleveland has given me the foundation in need in life.
What would you say to a young’n who wants to become a trapper or a shooter? Is it possible to convince them to be something else?
I would tell them don’t be fooled by all these Instagram thugs and rappers that glorify a life they don’t live or understand. I would encourage them to learn the real from the fake, because real n*ggas don’t move the way a lot of these wannabes move out here. I’m only 24 years old but I’m old enough to know that the younger generation needs guidance…. It’s just like the song says: “All the real trappers/they in jail/all the real shooters/they in hell.” Real OGs make sure they keep little homies away from that life because they know everybody ain’t built for it.
It sounds like you touched on some very personal experiences in this song. Was visualizing and writing this song especially hard for you when compared to other songs?
Quite the opposite. It was easy. When I’m spitting real shit like that it just flows because I’m not talking about anything I haven’t seen, done or experienced. This song is personal but not too personal because there are a lot of people going through the same shit that I’ve been through. “1833” is one of the first times I’ve really had the chance to show people who I am and why I do what I do.