The saint and the sinner are not mutually exclusive entities. Inside everyone is the ability to be humble and selfish, respectful and manipulative, compassionate and sinister. Coming to terms with the entirety of the human experience means accepting such inevitably of darkness and light. Too often, however, we suppress one side in favor of the other, acting in ways that don’t line up with our values or upbringing. In Hunned Mill’s newest track and video for “Why Lie,” reality is gnawed to the bone, exposed like an open wound and dissected past the point of stitches. Goth Money Records leaves us with a simple question: Why be anything you’re not?
Goth Money Records was formed from hardship, authenticity, and permission to be one’s self. Its passion towards positivity and unbounded creativity is what holds the collective together and its fans even closer. Hunned Mill is one of its members, friends with founder Black Kray long before the group formed. The Virginia-bred artists play off each other naturally, their voices a balancing act of homegrown purity and the globalization of underground subcultures.
Produced by Archie Thorpe, “Why Lie” was released last August under one of Kray’s many stage names, Sickboyrari. Its recent music video, shot and edited by KXONS and Mikan Media is tailored to specific precision. Each shot is deliberate and every cut has intention. A black and white color scheme steers attention towards the core matter of the song, stripping away unpredictability to focus on the characters’ words and intentions rather than the superfluousness of scenery.
Initially we see Hunned Mill running rapidly through a forest, unsure of his destination but seemingly determined to get there. He meets Black Kray in an open field where the two hold an intense standoff. The pair are stark opposites: Black Kray glows with an angelic yet ominous brilliance while Hunned Mill glares onward, donning black wings and an ice cold stare.
As the song breaks in, Kray and Hunned Mill transition to the couch, armed and posted up on defense. Hunned Mill keeps it real with the opening question: “My momma know I’m doing things, why lie? Sipping liquor, I don’t sip no lean, why lie?” He gives us an honest account of his actions and begs to know why anyone would do differently. Appropriating a particular lifestyle for the sake of an aesthetic is not only dishonest, but belittles the real struggle that those went through to define that lifestyle in the first place. Like their subtitles mention, “the true way to the bag is peace and positivity.”
Although truth is subjective to the beholder, it’s clear that Goth Money doesn’t bother with silliness. It’s an imaginative group that asks for seriousness among serious affairs while allowing freedom of expression to its highest creative degree. “Why Lie” is the creation of driven minds and tight, steady beats. Get to know more of Hunned Mill, and keep up with the rest of Goth Money Records here.