Bones

Somewhere between the raw edges of emo rap and a near-gothic sensibility, Bones shapes a shadowed, anguished approach to the genre. The tireless creator has generated dozens of independent projects under multiple aliases, cultivating a fiercely dedicated audience drawn to the weight of his output under the Bones name. Releases such as the 2014 mixtapes Rotten and TeenWitch introduced listeners to a sound that shifted between brooding rap cadences and vulnerable emo melodies.

Born Elmo Kennedy O'Connor in Muir Beach, California, in 1994, he experienced a family relocation to Howell, Michigan, at age seven. The abrupt change from a bright coastal setting to an isolated, rural Midwestern community left a deep impression on O'Connor. Encounters with prejudiced peers and physical confrontations with older students later surfaced in interviews as formative influences behind the bleak perspective that pervades much of his work. He first explored music production at nine and, during his teens, began uploading tracks online as Th@ Kid. At sixteen he left school behind and headed to Los Angeles.

Linking up with kindred spirits Xavier Wulf and Chris Travis, O'Connor adopted the Bones identity in 2012 and promptly unleashed a rapid series of recordings. By 2014 he had already completed a dozen mixtapes, several of which, including TeenWitch, attracted notice for their violent imagery and references to school shootings. That early aesthetic helped establish the template for subsequent emo-rap movements. His relentless schedule persisted through additional 2014 projects such as Garbage, DeadBoy, and Rotten, followed by Powder and YouShouldHaveSeenYourFace in 2015, then Useless and GoodForNothing in 2016, along with further installments each subsequent year. A steadfast fan base formed around him, supporting extensive global tours that showcased his dark rap textures. Although major labels expressed interest, he declined every overture, preferring to remain self-reliant and in control of his creative direction. Fresh material continued to appear at the same brisk pace, with notable entries including Failure in 2017, Living Sucks in 2018, and I Feel Like Dirt in 2019.