We showed y’all the behind the scenes on this one, now here’s the full version and the backstory:
In the 90’s, hip hop and skateboarding went hand-in-hand, whether it was tagging the streets with graffiti or witnessing freestyle circles between skateboarders and the famed Oakland rap crew, The Hieroglyphics. Growing up as a skateboarder during this time, it was inevitable that Kero One would be heavily influenced by underground hip hop.
In Kero One’s latest music video, Stay on the Grind feat. Ohmega Watts (from his second album, Early Believers), Kero One collaborates with director James Cheeks to pay homage to the skateboarding roots of his past. Kero One revisits the skateboarding scene of Long Beach, CA in the aftermath of a gang-shooting that ended the life of Blacc Mike, one of the city’s most promising professional skaters. Says Kero One, “It was dope that we were able to film at places like the Michael K. Green Skate Park, which was created in Blacc Mike’s honor, and being able to meet and skate with the community that was so heavily influenced by people like him. This park isn’t just a simple playground, there are bigger things going on here such as the ability to help to keep many of these kids out of gangs.”
