KeSTine new single, “Options,” shows that hip-hop is on the cusp of a seismic shift. “Options” doesn’t just pose hard questions but also demands emotional honesty in return. As a personal, meditative work, “Options” is an unvarnished meditation on loss, resilience, and the burden of decisions we must make when confronted with hardship.
A taste of his forthcoming project, Another Season, the single is colored by lived experience, inspired in particular by the passing of KeSTine’s grandmother and his time in Nigeria. Witnessing traditional Nigerian funeral rites was a turning point, evolving his grief into something bigger, a thesis on mortality, gratitude, and self-determination. Over a lush, soul-infused instrumental produced by Outsider Yp, KeSTine’s lyricism hits like diary entries set to rhythm, navigating vulnerability and strength with daring ease.
KeSTine explains that “Options” are about the choices we can make in life. “It’s all about understanding that pain and growth go hand in hand.” His words have heft, hanging above an immersive soundscape that incorporates hip-hop, soulful melodies, and even traces of the African rhythm-straining genre through the influence of Kendrick Lamar, Kojey Radical, and the more groove-focused pulse of the genre Amapiano.
KeSTine’s journey has been the stuff of dreams, going from the underground Cork rap scene to the Rome Music Video Awards and taking stages at Electric Picnic and Indiependence. With “Options,” he proves that his music isn’t just something to listen to. It’s something to feel.