When you hear the word “rapper,” what do you think of? Gold chains? Fancy cars? Attractive women surrounding a man? Or maybe you have a more “old school” mindset and you think of baggy jerseys and coats? Whatever you think of, you have some sort of idea of what a “rapper” would look like. What if I told you there was a rapper with long straight hair that could cover his face and wore boots most of the time? What if I also told you this person could sing too? Would you be shocked? Well, brace yourself for this one, because such a man exists and his name is Bones.
Elmo Kennedy O’Connor, better known as Bones, is not your average rapper -- he’s not your average music artist. With songs ranging from rap to R&B to rock to even jazz, it’s nearly impossible to classify his music as a genre. With him, you never know what to expect, and being a fan, it’s always a pleasant surprise. With over 40 mixtapes under his belt, it makes sense to be diverse, as with so many projects people can get a little bored with a particular “sound.” Bones’ diversity is what draws so many people to him, as he not only experiments with different sounds and genres, but the results are always pleasing. He even as an alter ego musically with a producer he often works with named GREAF. The two of them make up the musical team surrenderdorothy (yes, the lack of spacing and capitalization is intentional, as this is how it is stylized), in which he sings on all the tracks. The subject matter on these songs is often a girl, specifically his girlfriend and an ex on older projects. These songs could be classified as soft rock or even a ballads. These tracks serve as a complete contrast to his usual songs, which are dark and eerie, yet often have a relatable message within them.
Bones’ music videos are notoriously original. Shot to this day with a video camera he’s had since he was six years old, the majority of them have a very grainy quality with intentional static and rewinding effects he achieves by twisting and turning the cables after plugging them into a TV. They are often shot in remote locations and feature various shots of the scenery as well. With over 70 music videos under his belt, this style is tried and true for him. But he also has videos which are shot in high definition, which feature drone footage of scenic views of California.
When it comes to family, Bones makes it a priority. His manager is his brother and his mom and sister-in-law run the merchandise/website for the group TeamSesh, which he is the “head” of. The rest of the group consists of the producers he works with, who all live overseas. He keeps in contact them via video chat and they sometimes even make appearances at his live shows. When it comes down to it when listening to Bones, it’s practically impossible to find a song you don’t like. And, being he is dedicated to his music, if you don’t like one project there will be another in less than two months almost!
