Trippie Redd was one of many artists to release music on October 30th, 2020. He's joined by popstars Ariana Grande and Sam Smith — who will come out on top of the charts? Here's what Redd has to offer.
THE SOUND
Trippie Redd’s unique style stays true in Pegasus. As a prominent member of the mumble rap community, Redd never ceases to elevate the sub-genre and create a more melodic vibe to his music. Therefore, as listeners dive into the album, they’ll notice that Redd’s features are more representative of the mainstream rap genre, such as Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Future and Rich the Kid. To play off of his more melodic stylings, however, Redd brings in Chris Brown, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Myiah Lynnae. The juxtaposition that Redd creates with his R&B and rap features really allows him to step out into his own, like an artist born from the culmination of the two genres.
While we could go on and on about Redd’s style, it is a constant throughout his music. Pegasus is Redd’s longest album: 26 songs with a duration of almost an hour and fifteen minutes. Because Redd’s style is so invariable in his career, there is no real excitement throughout the hour-long project. It’s just a consistent stream of songs blending into each other. This album isn’t “sessionable,” and it seems to be a disservice if treated as such. Each song deserves to be enjoyed on its own, which is fine since there is no general theme tying the tracks together. Even though we love Trippie Redd’s sound, Pegasus might just be a little too long and similar to everything else he’s created. For that, we’re ranking this a 6/10 on the Intersect 1-10 rating scale.
THE RAPPING Redd provides his signature sound throughout the album, but what we’re here to talk about are the small pockets in tracks where we almost can’t recognize his voice. We know his impressive vocal range from his more popular songs such as “BANG!,” but listen close and check the track credits because you’ll be shocked.
While Redd provides his signature sound in songs like “Excitement” and “Love Scars 4,” he takes a step back from that sound in “The Nether.” In the beginning of the track, Redd lets the beat speak for itself, as he does often throughout this album. He then leads into a short verse. His flow is smooth and clear, different from his typical mumblings or melodious verses. “The Nether” shows the duality of Trippie Redd as an artist. He is a talented rapper, no matter what his flow sounds like, but the differentiation between the verse and hook are night and day. It sounds as though Redd brought another artist on the track. We wish we saw more of this side of Trippie Redd to shake up the sound a little bit. Hopefully next album we'll see more. Because of this new sound teaser, we're rating the rapping as an 8/10 on the Intersect 1-10 rating scale.
THE ART BEHIND THE ALBUM
It’s normal for a project to have a long list of credits from writers and features to engineers and producers. But here's where Trippie Redd ups the ante. Redd’s album includes a variety of rappers, including some that really make you do a double take. We were excited to see Sean Kingston back on a track list, making his first appearance in the music world since 2013. Though his feature is short in “Red Beam,” it allows a separation in the album, breaking up the endlessness of the work. Listeners fixate on his voice and his slower flow, excited to welcome Kingston back into their playlists.
Myiah Lynnae has two features on the album: the first and last tracks. As a newer artist, Lynnae has a fantastic entrance into mainstream music with this setup from Trippe Redd. Her beautiful and tantalizing voice creates a full circle for the project. Lynnae’s feature in “Let It Out” gives listeners an introduction to her jaw-dropping voice. Her verse, magnificent and melodic, is the beginning of Redd’s R&B and rap juxtaposition in the album. Though the hook of “Let It Out” is basic, listeners see the beauty of this upcoming artist. On “Sun God,” her vocals are used to lace the track and provide an ethereal sound, encapsulating listeners in the experience. It’s the perfect close to Trippie Redd’s album, and we’re excited to see what’s next for Myiah Lynnae.
With around 15 producers on the project, Redd makes a conscious attempt to highlight each one’s work. Most tracks have long introductions or interludes to allow listeners to get the full experience of the beat and production. We appreciate Redd’s lyrics but we have a greater appreciation for his selection of producers. Each time you listen, close your eyes and let the beat wash over you.
Redd has been known for his impressive vocal range and his catchy lyrics, when audible. Pegasus has kept the same expectations for Redd, but allowed him to use his platform to highlight other artists and producers. We’ll bump Trippie Redd everyday, but now we’ll also be adding Myiah Lynnae and Yung LB to our playlists. Because of Redd's inclusivity on the project, we're rating this an 8/10 on the Intersect 1-10 rating scale.
MY TOP TRACKS ON THE ALBUM:
The Nether, Red Beam, V-12, Excitement
APPLE MUSIC'S TOP TRACKS ON THE ALBUM:
Weeeeee, Never Change (feat. Future,) Love Scars 4, Excitement, Moonlight, Let It Out (feat. Myiah Lynnae) and more.
Twenty-six songs later, we might be tapped out on Trippie Redd, but we've found our favorites and will be revisiting them soon. Overall, Pegasus scores a 7/10 on the Intersect 1-10 rating scale.
Listen to the album below and let us know what you think!