Kdot – ‘Vintage Girls’

San Diego has an absolute shedload of classic rock artists, indie, Latin pop, jazz, and RnB, many of whom have won awards and taken the US by storm. When it comes to hip hop however, there wasn’t really much of a local scene, so Kdot started out freestyling at home, while his cousin was trying his hand at production. Gradually they sought out other rappers down the west coast to form their own crew.

Fast forward a couple of years,. and Kdot’s latest single, ‘Vintage Girls’, goes to show that DIY isn’t such a bad thing, and that we should expect great things from this guy.

The song is a shout-out to the girls who are different without trying to be. The ones who don’t follow the crowd, but at the same time, they don’t lead it either. They don’t care what’s hot right now, they’re looking for commitment, the bands and looks that have stood the test of time.

‘Vintage Girls’ taps into all the right notes, with Kdot rhyming and flexing, with a sound that hits hard in those who get it. He’s channelling the best of what’s blowing up right now, the likes of Lil Skies, Lil Uzi Vert, Roddy Ricch, Trippie Redd, even a touch of The Weeknd. And on brand with his unwillingness to follow the herd, the artist is also releasing the ‘Vintage Girls’ full length album on his own label, Kdot Music.

The clip for ‘Vintage Girls’ sees the singer wandering around an almost entirely empty parking garage at night. It’s perfect for the heavy reverb on the track, and the lyrics telling the story about what Kdot can’t tell the Vintage Girls (or at least, one of them). Directed by Trevor Landress and Jacob Koch, Kdot’s introspectiveness is captured; he’s trying to get out of the garage, looking for the exit, but he’s concentrating on his flow. His girl is outside, going about her daily life, walking at the beach, dressed in her thrift shop style, completely free to be herself. Kdot is still trapped: he’s unable to get out, his only friend is the camera. It remains to be seen if his thoughts ever hit their mark, or if they instead got no further than on the song.

You can find out more about Kdot online on his Instagram account.