Michael Lamar White IV, AKA Trippie Redd, is an Ohio rapper, singer, and songwriter who first broke out in May 2017 with his debut mixtape “A Love Letter To You,” which featured the big viral single “Love Scars.” A product of the current movement of Soundcloud rappers, “Love Scars” has currently received 62.5 million hits on the aforementioned Soundcloud and 52 million hits on YouTube at the time of this writing. He also received further recognition when he was featured on the song “Fuck Love” off of the late XXXTentacion’s album “17.” The song became Trippie’s first entry in the Hot 100, and he continued to receive attention from there. After releasing his second mixtape “A Love Letter To You 2,” Trippie released the single “Dark Knight Dummo” featuring Travis Scott, a single that not only made this album but ended up being his first entry on the Hot 100 as a lead artist. And while he hasn’t blown up in the way other Soundcloud rappers have (take, for example, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, or Lil Pump, who have seen massive chart success with their songs), Trippie seems to have carved out his niche in the ever-growing cloud of “emo rappers.”
Now I’m not gonna lie, I’m largely unfamiliar with Trippie Redd’s music. Most of what I know about the guy comes from watching videos of his singing without autotune which, I must say, the kid’s got some pipes on him. And while his recent string of controversies made me a bit skeptical to review this thing, I felt a little less skeptical about reviewing this album in comparison to someone like 6ix9ine (who I don’t want to bother with given his overall disgusting behavior and inability to even try to improve as a person). In the lead-up to this album, I did listen to the single “Dark Knight Dummo” and found it to be relatively fun, though I was a little worried going into the album itself because of the broken promises it brought with it: originally, it was supposed to be a whopping 26 tracks, and while I’m glad he shortened it to 14, the thing that worried me was that Trippie originally teased that the album would feature collaborations with Lil Wayne and Erykah Badu, neither of whom are featured in the album credits. Part of that has me a bit worried that the record went through some turbulence on its way to release, but I guess we’ll just have to listen to find out, right? Let’s take a look.
Together: A song that’s said to be about friendship and unity, Trippie kicks off his album by talking about how we, as people, are stronger together than we are alone. Interesting that he’s trying to spread a message about positivity, especially given his constant beefing with 6ix9ine. Either way, Trippie makes something that leans a bit more towards alternative rock on this one, with production that merely consists of some light guitar strumming. And while I like said production on this track, I think some of Trippie’s vocal delivery is a bit silly, as he awkwardly growls throughout several parts of the song, which really turns me off from it. If Trippie refined his vocals a bit on this one, it would’ve been a bit of a stronger cut, but as it is, it’s definitely lacking in the emotional feel it’s going for.
Taking A Walk: Taking a page from the book of Lil Uzi Vert, Trippie creates a track that has very lighthearted production, while juxtaposing it with very sad lyrics about death. I like the slower-paced drum beat, and the overall breezy, spacey vibe of the song is nice, but I find this to be one of the more problematic cuts on the album. First of all, it’s only 2 minutes, and therefore, the short length makes it relatively unfulfilling. Second, Trippie’s vocals still feel rather unclean, and when he’s spitting bars like “chicken noodle ass n***a, man, you boneless,” it just feels too silly for the vibe the song is going for. It’s not a hideous song, it’s just very problematic, and it could be so much better.
Wish (Trippie Mix) (with Diplo): Trippie collaborates with Diplo to make what has been seen as his version of Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO TOUR Llif3,” as in a song with some more sad production with very emotional lyrics about one of Trippie’s former relationships. Despite said sad vibe, I actually like the somewhat energetic production and beat on this one (thank Diplo for that instrumental), and I think Trippie’s vocals feel less grating and a bit more emotional on this one, especially on the hook when Trippie says that he “might just blow [his] brain,” comparing himself to Kurt Cobain. It's definitely one of the more emotional cuts on the album, and I really like it.
Missing My Idols: Apparently a sequel to a previous Trippie Redd song “Can You Rap Like Me?” off of his “A Love Letter To You” mixtape, Trippie uses a hook that he previously rapped on a freestyle he did for Tim Westwood (he also apparently used this as his XXL Freshman freestyle) where he raps about how he “misses his idol.” I like his flow throughout the hook and I think the rhyme scheme on it is pretty interesting, but once again, the song feels a bit too short and unfulfilling, and I also think the production isn’t quite as special as usual. It doesn’t really play to Trippie’s vocal uniqueness, and it just feels like somewhat standard trap stuff. Not bad, just not special.
Forever Ever (ft. Young Thug and Reese LAFLARE): Another braggadocious song featuring Young Thug and Reese LAFLARE (and apparently Kodak Black has some vocals on here), the trio also talk a lot about love over a more slow-paced, spacey trap instrumental that, while somewhat standard, does sound nice and feels appropriately moody. Trippie auto-croons through his verse and he sounds pretty smooth doing it, and Young Thug’s vocals sound solid as well. Reese LAFLARE ends the song, and while his vocals don’t sound particularly distinct, they do mesh well with the production and give the song a little bit of extra character. Overall, pretty fun track. I dig it.
Bird Shit: Genius.com’s current annotation on this track doesn’t describe what it’s about, it simply describes the cut as “one of the best songs on Trippie Red’s new album.” Couldn’t even spell “Redd” right, either. I mean, if that’s the case, I had high expectations coming into this one. Did it deliver? Well, yeah, it’s a fun track. The production is driven by the click-clack percussion, but I like the cloudy feel of the instrumentals here, Trippie’s auto-crooning is smooth, and even if he does growl and have a few strange ad-libs here and there, they don’t interfere with my enjoyment of the song. Pretty good cut.
BANG!: What seems to be a song about his relationship with his girlfriend AYLEK$, Trippie channels the anxiety he feels surrounding his relationship, wondering if his girlfriend thinks of him while he’s gone. I like the darker, more nocturnal production on this one, and Trippie’s vocals do carry some emotional weight on this one, though I don’t really find there to be anything to compellingly hook me into it. The chorus itself isn’t really all that stunning, and despite that emotional weight I mentioned, some of Trippie’s screaming and growling isn’t quite fitting against the more melancholy production here. There’s certainly some appeal to this cut, though, and I can see it growing on me in the future if I give it a few more listens.
How You Feel: Another more alternative rock-leaning track, Trippie wonders how his girl feels about him throughout this cut, and he sings about this over another more minimal, guitar-driven instrumental. And while I find it a bit strange seeing Trippie say that his love for his girl is “like cookies to a girl scout,” I once again like his more emotional vocals on this cut and the more moody, lowkey production on this one. If anything, I feel like the song does go on just a little bit too long: given that there’s not a lot of beef to the lyrics, and the instrumental isn’t too big or anything, I think this is one of those songs that could’ve been just a tick shorter. It’s still a nice-enough cut that has good things going for it, I just wish it was more condensed.
Dark Knight Dummo (ft. Travis Scott): Something of a braggadocious song where Trippie seems to brag about all the riches he has made since becoming a more known musician, I love the very nocturnal, weirdly-produced instrumental on this one, and I also really dig Trippie’s very energetic, somewhat slurred but still powerful vocals (I think his growls fit a bit better here given the more aggressive production), and I think the hook is easily one of the most ear-wormy and hypnotic choruses on the album. Travis Scott also jumps on this single for a verse, and I think his auto-crooned vocals mesh pretty well with Trippie’s ad-libs and energy. Really nice track, I like this one a lot.
UKA UKA: Hmm, a title that references a character in the iconic “Crash Bandicoot” series that I really enjoy? And what’s this? Trippie actually loves “Crash Bandicoot” and has a chain necklace with Uka Uka’s face on it? Respect, Trippie, respect. And I do find it unique that Trippie embraces the “antagonist” that Uka Uka is with this track by taking some shots at 6ix9ine and painting himself as something of a villain. I like his flow on this one, and I think the more energetic production is pretty nice as well, though I do think the song could’ve used a better chorus. It doesn’t feel like it really effectively hooks in the way that the verses do. Either way, as someone that loves video games, I like some of the references he makes to certain games, and I think he makes a pretty solid song here, even if it’s not one of the album’s best.
Shake It Up: Taking things in a much darker route, Trippie holds nothing back as he talks about the sex his girlfriend gives him. While I do like Trippie’s rather weird, auto-crooned vocals on this one, I once again don’t really find the hook to be all that enticing here, and I think the production just feels like rather standard turn-up music. It doesn’t really leave much of a lasting impression, and that’s a bit of a problem given the song’s length: at just under 2 minutes, you gotta hit hard if you want to make the shorter tracks memorable, but unfortunately, this one just doesn’t quite hit.
Oomps Revenge: Here, we get a bit sadder, as Trippie makes a tribute to his deceased older brother, who was apparently the reason Trippie got into rap to begin with. And while the song is just a little too short (only 2 minutes and 1 second here), I do like the slower-paced production here, the beat is pretty solid, and I think Trippie’s rap flow and performance are pretty solid as well. Admittedly, I do think the song feels just a little bit more braggadocious than it should, given that it’s supposed to be a tribute to his brother, but it still does feel personal enough to work, even if it could’ve been a little longer.
Gore: Okay, back to the flexing. Trippie talks on this song about how he’s gonna keep on winning, even if his attempts at winning end up killing him. Unfortunately, this song does feel to me like a number of trap-rap songs that we hear today. Even though it’s got a somewhat murky vibe to it, it’s something that I feel has been done several times before, the trap-drum beat is very standard, and Trippie’s vocal chops are drowned out to some degree on this one. I do like the hook a little bit, but I don’t really think it’s enough to save this cut from being pretty “whatever.”
Underwater FlyZone: The closer to the album seems to talk about Trippie’s very on-and-off relationship with AYLEK$, and given that it was teased in April when they had broken up, this song seems to describe the “off” end of the relationship. Honestly, with a name like “Underwater FlyZone,” I thought this was gonna be Trippie’s theme park, kinda like how “ASTROWORLD” is Travis Scott’s theme park. That’s not the case, but either way, I think this is a pretty strong cut. Trippie’s vocals actually have very real emotional weight, and I think they mesh well with the somewhat minimal, downbeat piano melody here. Even though it’s the longest cut on the album (at nearly 6 minutes!!!), I think Trippie’s vocals remain interesting enough to keep the song exciting for the entire duration, and I think it’s a worthy finisher to the album.
Overall, it’s kinda funny that I compared Trippie Redd to Lil Uzi Vert at points in this review (he does occasionally sound like Uzi at points, and some of his songs seem to take pages from Uzi’s book), because what I’m about to say about this album is actually what I said around this time last year when I reviewed Uzi’s “Luv is Rage 2,” both in terms of the good and bad sides of the album. On the positive end of things, I think that Trippie does actually bring some very interesting ideas to this album, and I do appreciate how he can take on a couple of different styles here, from more vibrant, turn-up jams to some softer, alternative-rock leaning tracks, and I can kind of see how he’s carved out his own niche in the Soundcloud rap scene. Even despite my Uzi comparisons, I think he’s got a distinct and rather interesting style, and there are several moments on the album where he embraces what makes him special and creates something really good.
That said, I do think there are some very real flaws with the album: he’s still a bit all-over-the-place lyrically, his vocals can be inconsistent (sometimes they fit with the vibe of the song, other times they just feel overly yelpy and annoying) and, for that matter, the album as a whole is rather inconsistent. I’m glad Trippie didn’t make this 26 songs like he originally said (I don’t think he could’ve handled that), but even at its current length of 14, Trippie mixes some great highs (“Dark Knight Dummo”) with some big lows (“Together”), and while nothing on here comes off as truly hideous, I do think a number of the songs could’ve been improved. Even so, I can see Trippie at least going up from here if he can iron out his vocals a bit and maybe provide a little less lyrical cheese, and I see that he has something unique going for him, so I’d definitely be interested in seeing how he grows past this album. As it is, you can do better than this, but given how low Soundcloud rap can go, you can also do worse. I just hope Trippie hits harder on his next release.
Favorite tracks: Wish (Trippie Mix), Forever Ever, Bird Shit, Dark Knight Dummo, Underwater FlyZone
Least favorite tracks: Together, Taking A Walk, Shake It Up, Gore
Rating: Okay
Oomps Revenge: Here, we get a bit sadder, as Trippie makes a tribute to his deceased older brother, who was apparently the reason Trippie got into rap to begin with. And while the song is just a little too short (only 2 minutes and 1 second here), I do like the slower-paced production here, the beat is pretty solid, and I think Trippie’s rap flow and performance are pretty solid as well. Admittedly, I do think the song feels just a little bit more braggadocious than it should, given that it’s supposed to be a tribute to his brother, but it still does feel personal enough to work, even if it could’ve been a little longer.
Gore: Okay, back to the flexing. Trippie talks on this song about how he’s gonna keep on winning, even if his attempts at winning end up killing him. Unfortunately, this song does feel to me like a number of trap-rap songs that we hear today. Even though it’s got a somewhat murky vibe to it, it’s something that I feel has been done several times before, the trap-drum beat is very standard, and Trippie’s vocal chops are drowned out to some degree on this one. I do like the hook a little bit, but I don’t really think it’s enough to save this cut from being pretty “whatever.”
Underwater FlyZone: The closer to the album seems to talk about Trippie’s very on-and-off relationship with AYLEK$, and given that it was teased in April when they had broken up, this song seems to describe the “off” end of the relationship. Honestly, with a name like “Underwater FlyZone,” I thought this was gonna be Trippie’s theme park, kinda like how “ASTROWORLD” is Travis Scott’s theme park. That’s not the case, but either way, I think this is a pretty strong cut. Trippie’s vocals actually have very real emotional weight, and I think they mesh well with the somewhat minimal, downbeat piano melody here. Even though it’s the longest cut on the album (at nearly 6 minutes!!!), I think Trippie’s vocals remain interesting enough to keep the song exciting for the entire duration, and I think it’s a worthy finisher to the album.
Overall, it’s kinda funny that I compared Trippie Redd to Lil Uzi Vert at points in this review (he does occasionally sound like Uzi at points, and some of his songs seem to take pages from Uzi’s book), because what I’m about to say about this album is actually what I said around this time last year when I reviewed Uzi’s “Luv is Rage 2,” both in terms of the good and bad sides of the album. On the positive end of things, I think that Trippie does actually bring some very interesting ideas to this album, and I do appreciate how he can take on a couple of different styles here, from more vibrant, turn-up jams to some softer, alternative-rock leaning tracks, and I can kind of see how he’s carved out his own niche in the Soundcloud rap scene. Even despite my Uzi comparisons, I think he’s got a distinct and rather interesting style, and there are several moments on the album where he embraces what makes him special and creates something really good.
That said, I do think there are some very real flaws with the album: he’s still a bit all-over-the-place lyrically, his vocals can be inconsistent (sometimes they fit with the vibe of the song, other times they just feel overly yelpy and annoying) and, for that matter, the album as a whole is rather inconsistent. I’m glad Trippie didn’t make this 26 songs like he originally said (I don’t think he could’ve handled that), but even at its current length of 14, Trippie mixes some great highs (“Dark Knight Dummo”) with some big lows (“Together”), and while nothing on here comes off as truly hideous, I do think a number of the songs could’ve been improved. Even so, I can see Trippie at least going up from here if he can iron out his vocals a bit and maybe provide a little less lyrical cheese, and I see that he has something unique going for him, so I’d definitely be interested in seeing how he grows past this album. As it is, you can do better than this, but given how low Soundcloud rap can go, you can also do worse. I just hope Trippie hits harder on his next release.
Favorite tracks: Wish (Trippie Mix), Forever Ever, Bird Shit, Dark Knight Dummo, Underwater FlyZone
Least favorite tracks: Together, Taking A Walk, Shake It Up, Gore
Rating: Okay
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