Sidestreet Takes Us Through LA With a New Music Video

The Seattle-based hip-hop artist, songwriter, rapper, and producer Sidestreet teams up with rapper KingCo for their latest single and music video, "Pray."

A four-year letter winner and three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention in football at Washington state, Sidestreet also held a profound passion for music created during the offseason. Now showcasing his versatile r&b, hip-hop, and pop sound, Sidestreet is more than ready for the world to walk down his block.

Introducing viewers to his lively and intense performances by way of his recent music video for "Pray," his audience can catch many professional and in-depth scenes of Sidestreet and featured artist KingCo. While rapping a conceptual message of praying for those who attempt to bring them down, both Sidestreet and KingCo offer an incredibly textured performance that's bound to shake the haters.

Hitting play on the music video for "Pray," the video opens with many drone shots of Los Angeles and quick turns to the city's dark streets and alleys. While setting a haunting and mysterious tone to the video, Sidestreet makes his appearance wrapped in chains, then with sharp transitions to being locked in a fence cage while opening up about praying for those who pray on his downfall.

As KingCo joins the party, his slightly higher-toned vocal delivery truly provides a brilliant contrast between both artists, which are seen in various well-shot scenes around Los Angeles. While both artists touch on a similar theme of rising above the hate, they make their way to the final scenes with the utmost power and resilience.

Don't miss out on Sidestreet's latest music video for "Pray," now available to watch on YouTube.

Hello Sidestreet and welcome to BuzzMusic. We're highly impressed with the well-shot and edited music video you've provided with "Pray." Why did you want the music video to offer this intense and almost mysterious vibe? The song itself has a suspenseful, sort of dreamy feel to it. Naturally, I wanted to enhance that feeling with the visuals while also properly conveying the message of the song. What drew you to the stylings of KingCo to feature on your single and music video for "Pray?" What was your collaborative experience like? I’ve known KingCo since we were kids. We grew up sort of acquaintances playing sports against each other, even into college. When I heard his 2020 EP ‘Kingco’ I was impressed with his sound and his versatility and knew I wanted to work with him on something. I had been working on “Pray” and felt like it was something he would snap-on, and he did. We work really well together and actually have quite a few songs stacked up now. We may even collab on a whole album... Definitely more to come from us together. Out of all the professionally-shot scenes within the music video for "Pray," did you have a specific concept or idea that you wanted to get across? The main message of the song and video is about trusting your own timing and process when starting something new. The lyrics describe how everyone has advice and thinks they know what is best for you when you start a new endeavor, and how ironically a lot of the same people turn around and doubt you or tear you down once you start. At the same time, you might be battling your own doubts and other restraining thoughts that keep you caged or stuck in chains mentally. So for the video, we wanted to demonstrate that breaking out of the chains and escaping the mental cage to chase what you feel called to. I really like how it turned out. Did you work with any directors, editors, or videographers that helped bring your visions to life for "Pray?"

My sister is a very talented video producer/director. The first time I showed her the song, she pretty much instantly got an idea for a video concept and she sent me a treatment the next day. Her idea fits right along with what I had envisioned and fits the song perfectly. We made some slight adjustments to the concept along the way but we were still able to achieve the vibe we wanted. We also had two talented videographers, Chase Premone and Miles Fowler, do the filming and editing for the video, in addition to some directing.

What would you like new listeners to know about the music you create? With exception to an occasional loop from a friend who plays an instrument better than I can, or any artist features on my projects, I do everything myself. Produce, write, record, arrange, mix, master, etc. I love the process of creating something from scratch, and I take pride in being a one-stop shop. I don’t consider myself an expert at any of those things, but it’s a dope feeling when people appreciate something that you brought to life yourself. Thank you for listening to my art.

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