A Chat with Lennon Cripe (03.04.25)
Known for his genre-defying style, which he describes as “Gulf Pop,” Lennon Cripe takes us through the influences of his upbringing along the Gulf Coast of Florida and his time in Chile. From his early days making homemade music videos to his recent collaboration with Dylan Cotrone on the track ‘ONE LIFE’, Cripe shares the experiences and creative processes that have shaped his music. With his raw honesty and blend of diverse genres, Cripe’s work continues to push boundaries, leaving listeners with a message of resilience and self-discovery. We speak to Lennon Cripe about his inspirations, struggles, and the release of his upcoming EP, You Only Live Forever.
OSR: Lennon, you describe your sound as “Gulf Pop.” Can you explain what that genre means to you and how it influences your music?
Cripe: I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida. It’s a really weird place.. all of the crazy sh*t that you see on the internet about Florida is actually how it is here. People are nuts, but I love it. I feel like that’s why there’s so much good music coming out of here; it’s crazy, and it’s different. That’s what Gulf Pop is to me. It’s a blend of sounds and genres that I’ve heard growing up here that have inspired me. It’s also the name I give my music so it can stay as genre-less as possible. Say I make a rap song? A punk song? A folk song? Perfect.. I’m not a rapper, punk band, or singer-songwriter… it’s Gulf Pop. It is whatever I want it to be.
OSR: Your upbringing between Florida and Chile has clearly played a big role in shaping your music. How did these two cultures influence the sound you’ve developed today?
Cripe: I feel like getting outside of your comfort zone and out of the bubble that is your hometown is good for anyone. It opens doors, changes perspectives, and broadens opportunities for connections. I started writing songs in Florida as a kid before we moved. I wrote songs in Chile as an adolescent too. The difference between those songs is drastic, so I would definitely say that the move impacted who I am and the music that I make today.
OSR: What was the moment when you realized you wanted to pursue music professionally?
Cripe: I’ve known that this is who I was and what I wanted to do since I can remember. I used to go over to my cousin’s house every day, I would steal my uncle’s VHS camera, take the raps that I wrote in my notebook and record homemade music videos of myself at 8 years old. Music has always been my escape from the moment I could download songs and put headphones up to my ears, sit down at my childhood piano, or pick up my dad’s guitar. I didn’t have a lot of people I felt like I could relate to growing up; music was my only actual friend for years. There’s nothing else I want to be doing.
OSR: You’ve mentioned that your parents had contrasting musical tastes. How did that blend of reggae, grunge, and punk shape your own musical taste and approach to songwriting?
Cripe: It definitely hindered my creative process before it started helping me develop my sound. I would sit down and start riffing a reggae type of “chug” on the guitar to write one song, then the next song I’d start I’d be using the guitar in a completely different way with distortion and power chords. I thought, “Well, I can’t write this type of song because that’s not the type of artist I want to be.” It wasn’t until I started taking the parts that I liked from the genres and blending them (and stopped putting labels on myself) that my “sound” started to take its form. One thing I always loved about reggae was the feeling you get when you listen. The messages in the songs, for the most part, are quite positive, and the lyricism is very to the point and simple. On the other hand, sometimes we all experience strong, negative and complex emotions. I like to use those raw, gritty, in-your-face sounds from grunge and rock for tracks that lean more in that direction. Those things are definitely what have shaped my songwriting when it comes to those genres. As far as my more “hip hop/rap” kind of songs, well that’s just the sh*t I liked and wanted to incorporate.
OSR: ‘ONE LIFE’ carries a strong message of resilience and making the most of our time. What was the inspiration behind the lyrics, and how does it reflect your personal journey?
Cripe: I wrote that song at 4 in the morning after a long, gruelling shift. I hadn’t been in the best headspace for a while and felt very stagnant. I kind of wrote that hook for myself, if I’m being honest. I was telling myself like, “Hey dude, you know you only live once, right? What the f*** are you doing right now? Get to it!”. During the process, I was also reminiscing on some of the friends and family I’ve had to move on from that have chosen different paths for their lives than the one I know I need to be on. Although it hurts, sometimes things just work out the way they’re supposed to, and you just gotta “burn that weed” and “burn those bridges”.
OSR: How has your life experience, including the challenges you faced, influenced your approach to music and creativity?
Cripe: I feel like everything I’ve been through/experienced in my life has led me back to music, every time. Every struggle and challenge has just given me more things to write about, better problem-solving skills and more motivation to keep pouring into my art. We would never know a good day if we never had a bad one, and the worst ones write the best music.
OSR: The collaboration with Dylan Cotrone on ‘ONE LIFE’ adds a new layer to the song. What was it like working with him, and how did his contribution shape the final track?
Cripe: Dylan is the homie. We’re from the same town (Bradenton) here on the Gulf Coast. I feel like we share a very similar mindset when it comes to music and complement each other very well when we collaborate. I showed him the track as a demo a few days after making it one day while we were hanging out in his studio. We were there working on another song. When he heard it, he stopped everything we were doing, started humming a melody and wrote and recorded his verse in under an hour. It felt effortless, and as cheesy as it might sound, it felt like it was meant to be.
OSR: What was the process like for you when creating ‘ONE LIFE’? Was there a specific moment during production when everything clicked into place?
Cripe: It always just sort of happens. There might be one moment, playing it back when I get goosebumps and start going crazy jumping up and down, or there could be multiple times during the process that I do that. No matter what though, the going crazy jumping up and down always takes place. It absolutely did with ‘ONE LIFE’ when I came up with the hook, when Dylan found the melody for his verse and when we listened to the entire song finished for the first time.
OSR: You’ve clearly been influenced by a variety of genres. What’s your process for blending such different styles into one cohesive track?
Cripe: Trial and error. I make whatever I want and see where it takes me. I spent way too long trying to figure out what genre I wanted to fit into. Now I just kinda go with the flow and make whatever gives me that “holy sh*t, this is good” feeling.
OSR: As a rising artist, what do you hope listeners take away from ‘ONE LIFE’ and the new EP, You Only Live Forever?
Cripe: When it comes to ‘ONE LIFE’, I hope it motivates listeners to finally quit that job they hate, break up with their toxic partner, take that trip or whatever… You get it. As far as the EP goes, sh*t, I hope it’s timeless. I’m actually kind of dope, and it’s about time the world knew that.
Many thanks to Lennon Cripe for speaking with us. Find out more about Lennon Cripe on his Instagram and Spotify.
