7.7.2022

Album: BONES – AmericanSweetheart

The Uncountably Prolific Underground Hero Shares His Second Project of 2022

Critical Praise:

“The Michigan-born rapper was one of the earliest and most influential artists to rise through the SoundCloud ranks in the early 2010s thanks to a truly unique aesthetic, an aura of mystery and a sound that would go on to be mimicked by his genre for years to come.” – HYPEBEAST

‘Already one of the most influential artists in rap and the SoundCloud underground, Bones shows no signs of slowing down.” – HYPEBEAST

“O’Connor’s short tracks, creepy videos, and one-word tweets rack up millions of social media interactions from a cult following that helped him sell out shows in 25 cities on a recent tour. The hip-hop elite is taking notice.” – The FADER

“Elmo Kennedy O’Connor was in pre-school when he became obsessed with the Southern artists of No Limit and Cash Money. Later in life, he would adopt the rap moniker Bones and amass a significant cult following. His gothic lyrical style, allergy to songs longer than two and a half minutes, and lo-fi visual aesthetic have convinced a quarter million people to subscribe to the SoundCloud page of his rap collective, TeamSESH.” – HotNewHipHop

The Album:

A blue collar rock star for the Internet age, BONES synthesizes influences from all over the country to make his signature underground sound. Embracing his folk hero status on his latest project, the prolific rapper shares AmericanSweetheart, his second full-length of 2022. The new project paints BONES as a hip-hop renaissance man, as the artist subsumes a variety of styles into his dark aesthetic, and packs in references to films like Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Rocky IV, and more.

Songs like “Juno” and “7thGenerationBlunts” bear the influences of Memphis trap, but other highlights absorb sounds from hip-hop history: “Playback” is a haunted slice of East Coast boom bap, “Panic Button” finds BONES ripping fast raps atop the “Amen” break, “CoolHandLuke” kicks off with a Pharrell-esque four count, and other songs sneak in references to artists like the St. Lunatics and Pretty Ricky. The album’s more emotional tracks show off BONES’ skill with melody and ability to pack deep feelings into crisp turns of phrase: “I hate that I made you put up with me/Disgrace fits me so comfortably,” he intones on “CutYouLoose.” With production from TeamSESH producers like cat soup, American Sweetheart is available everywhere via TeamSESH/EMPIRE.

AmericanSweetheart continues a busy year for the Michigan native, marked by exciting collaborations and unexpected co-signs. Last month, BONES connected with Drew The Architect for the heart-wrenching “PackRippedOpen.” In April, the underground hero shared Withered, a full-length project. Created in collaboration with TeamSESH producer grayera, Withered finds BONES alternating between laid-back yet emotional anthems and commanding, verbally blunt bangers, including the emotionally charged lead single “TheOne.” Before Withered, BONES connected with longtime TeamSESH member ghost/\/ghoul to drop “Silverado,” notable because ghost/\/ghoul rarely recruits vocalists to contribute to his music. 2021 was a remarkably busy year for BONES, marked by five full-length albums including Scraps w/ Lyson, ForbiddenImage w/ cat soup, InLovingMemory, PushingUpDaisies w/ Deergod, and BURDEN, and capped off by “DeathWish,” an ’80s pop-influenced banger by BONES’ alter ego Ricky A Go Go.

With a singular aesthetic that has made fans out of influential figures like A$AP Rocky, and most recently, Justin Bieber, BONES is always working. Stay tuned for much more from the mysterious mastermind in the near future.

Buy/Stream AmericanSweetheart: https://music.empi.re/americansweetheart

AmericanSweetheart tracklist:

ILoveNewYork
MillionDollarQuestion
Juno
ImALonerDottie,ARebel
CoolHandLuke
CuldesacSounds
HotCoffeeMod
CutYouLoose
7thGenerationBlunts
MidwesternHospitality
DellGriffith
Playback
IfHeDies,HeDies
PanicButton
ChainMail

Please contact Michelle or Kerry for more info.

The Background:

BONES has proven to be one of the most enduring, influential, and creative hip-hop artists to emerge in the early 2010s. The TeamSESH founder has recorded dozens of albums, racking up hundreds of millions of streams and feeding a fanbase that eagerly awaits his every move. Despite remaining fiercely independent and true to his underground roots, his music has permeated the mainstream–in 2015, A$AP Rocky sampled BONES’ song “Dirt” for “Canal St.” (124 million streams), and in recent years, BONES has performed in prime slots at festivals such as Rolling Loud as a member of Seshollowaterboyz (along with Xavier Wülf, Chris Travis, and Eddy Baker).