What Hip Hop Artist Chris Kinney Taught Me About Fighting Depression

It has been said many times that “stars don’t shine without darkness”. I always thought this was a cliché quote that failed to describe some of the tough moments that many people overcome in life. However, my opinion of that quote changed when I met Chris Kinney.

Chris Kinney is a hip hop artist from Nashville Tennessee. He started making music around the age 13 when after watching his friends mess around in their studio. After observing for weeks, Chris asked if he could take a crack at it. The rest is history.

Chris Kinney’s fight with depression started from an early age and continued for much of his teenage years. He always used music as an outlet to express what he was feeling in hopes that he could help other people deal with some of the same things he was going through. He uses his struggle with depression to inspire others through his craft.

I got the chance to talk to Chris about how he channels the negativity and uses it positively. He said,:

“I want people to not only hear my music and be inspired, but to dig deeper and know my story, and what I stand for. Hopefully I can plant seeds in everyone I come across!”

Chris Kinney

Chris has music that has already us his music to influence thousands of listeners across the globe. Although music was very therapeutic for his journey, Chris points to his faith as being the main reason he’s been able to overcome his fight with depression.

 “I understand life will not be perfect but I have truly overcome my darkest of days. When I found God, my life changed. ”

Chris Kinney

Many people are stuck in the fight against depression. It can be a very difficult thing to handle and may seem almost unbearable at times, and many wonder what it will be like to see brighter days. While overcoming his depression was a struggle, Chris looks back at it as a life-defining moment. When I asked him what overcoming his depression looked like he said:

“It humbled me. Made me realize how important life is. Right before I really turned my life around my mom was sick in the hospital and I was at the lowest point of my life. Looking back, I’m glad I went through what I did. It was life changing for me and my family.”

Chris Kinney

Chris Kinney is an inspiring example for me on a personal level. As someone who faced depression for a long time, I can truly relate to everything he stands for. Instead of letting all of the negativity control him, Chris Kinney became stronger through the fight and is using his story to impact people in a positive way through his music.

In a musical culture of drugs, sex, and violence it is encouraging to see an artist like Chris Kinney distribute positivity to society. According to HealthLine, over 300 million people have been diagnosed with depression and it’s the world’s leading causing of disability.

In 2017, suicide was marked as the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of over 47,000 people. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54. The scary part? The numbers only keep growing.

With a follower count over 50K, Chris has been an influencer for quite some time. With the rate of depression on the rise, it will be people like Chris that will make all the difference. Especially with the ever-increasing user count of social media websites like Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok.

Overcoming depression is a huge part of Chris’s testimony and a big reason he’s been inspired to shine bright in such a dark world. He wouldn’t be who is today if he didn’t go through what he did. Sometimes it takes our darkest moments to be the light other people need to see.

Helen Keller once said,

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.”

Helen Keller

It’s not always about overcoming our struggles. It’s also about how overcoming a struggle changed us for better.