Rap N Roll with Dom Kennedy

Dom Kennedy poses outside the set for his Bootleg Cable music video in North Hollywood, California on July 26, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

In between takes producer Troy Noka shows a hundred dollar bill with the face of Nipsey Hustle on the set of Dom Kennedy's Bootleg Cable music video in North Hollywood, California on July 26, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

An action figure on the set of Dom Kennedy's Bootleg Cable music video in North Hollywood, California on July 26, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

Props on the set of Dom Kennedy's Bootleg Cable music video in North Hollywood, California on July 26, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

Rapper Dom Kennedy shows a $100 with the face of the late Nipsey Hustle on July 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Maxim Elramsisy)

A man on the set of Dom Kennedy's Bootleg Cable music video in North Hollywood, California on July 26, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

Maurice Harkless of the New York Knicks makes a cameo in Dom Kennedy's Bootleg Cable music video in North Hollywood, California on July 27, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

A prop on the set of Dom Kennedy's Bootleg Cable music video in North Hollywood, California on July 26, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

Filming on the set of Dom Kennedy's Bootleg Cable music video in North Hollywood, California on July 26, 2020. (Maxim Elramsisy / The Corsair)

Acclaimed hip-hop artist Dom Kennedy released his 7th studio album, Rap N Roll, on Sept. 25, 2020. The Los Angeles based artist and Santa Monica College alumnus has forged a relatively unusual and principled path in the music industry. 

Rather than signing with a record label, he opted to maintain independence by creating his own music label, OPM. With this strategy he maintains the ownership and rights over all of his music. Over the years since his 2008 debut mixtape, 25th Hour, Kennedy has written music with themes about life in Los Angeles. He is a testament that artists can find success and popularity while staying true to their roots.

The “Bootleg Cable” music video is emblematic of Kennedy’s west-coast style. It’s a family affair, as the video was directed by his cousin, Jason Madison, and features Kennedy’s children. There are also cameos from the song’s producer, Troy Noka, and New York Knicks forward Maurice Harkless. The video follows Dom through a micro-cosmic liquor store with the whole neighborhood inside.