With very little historical impact in Hip Hop culture, fans wouldnโt immediately pinpoint the state of Idaho to produce a credible rapper.
Enter Kurtis Hoppie, who lived his early days in Las Vegas but relocated to The Gem State where he found his craft, appreciation for music and most importantly for his trajectory, his faith in God.
Formerly known as Triple Thr33, the tenured artist is feeling even more renewed these days. On Friday (June 4), he released Problem Child, his debut project with Derek Minor and Doc Watsonโs RMG Amplify โ Reflection Music Group, which made the partnership with his label One Vision Army (a Boise-based, tenured Christian Hip Hop label) something like a divine โจโจintervention.
โI make music from the heart, my heart is filled with myself and a major influence of who I am is God,โ Kurtis Hoppie tells HipHopDX in between fielding positive reactions from Problem Childโs release.
โWhat it is, is up to the listener. Some would debate whether Iโm a rapper at all anymore!โ
Kurtis Hoppieโs music could be described as a hybrid between The Fray and Post Malone (one of his named influences), while still maintaining a bit of lyrical consistency and Hip Hop lifeblood in the music.
The rhyme-laden โVegan Burgersโ cooks up organic love hymns while showcasing his melodic singing abilities as the chorus unfolds.
Ditto for the single โThe Fall,โ which narrates the fearlessness needed to navigate through life, across a downtempo, melancholic beat that can live in both rap and pop spaces effortlessly.
The accompanying music video depicts that exact fearlessness Hoppie wants to convey to his fans and followers, as he explains to
DX his definition of plummeting his art outlines.
โFalling is running back to the things that you know you have overcome and should stay away from because of the effect it may have on your life and state of mind,โ he explains, with emphasis on the recordโs true meaning.
โThe reason I am not afraid of the fall is because I know no matter how many times I fall God will always be there to pick me up and love me right back to where I am supposed to be.โ
Aside from Post Malone, Kurtis Hoppie credits his own label head Derek Minor, The Kid LAROI, as well as Logicโs artist Jon Bellion, Andy Mineo, Jon Keith and nobigdyl as the musicians who keep him active and competitive.
He adopts the name of โproblem childโ while still injecting positivity and focus into his listenerโs ears.
โI like to listen to music that moves me; I donโt listen to many artists that are super vulgar,โ he continues, speaking of his raw yet clean lyrics. โI try to keep my mind on things above, and music really has an effect on my mind and the way my day goes.โ
The Problem Child EP can be streamed below.
