Trippie Redd may have just released his debut album Life’s A Trip and its mixtape follow-up A Love Letter To You 3 recently, but the movement keeps moving as he shared another mixtape — with a twist. Rather than putting out a project of new music, he dug into his vault for older, previously unreleased music and shared it via Soundcloud. The collection is called Old Self and offers a revealing look at his development as an artist, from a more straightforward “lyrical” rhymer to the emotive crooner his fans all know and love, whose music has also been described as “the new punk.” Check it out below.
You can hear nods to more boom-bap, traditionalist tendencies on tracks like “Real” featuring Skynny Blu3 and the high-speed “2014 Freestyle.” There’s also plenty of the wailing singing voice that has made him a fan of the emo-trap set, along with production from Pierre Bourne and appearances from rappers like Lil Twist and Trippie’s frequent collaborator Kodie Shane. While his hardcore fans will appreciate just have a batch of previously unheard music, songs like “2014 Freestyle” may also appeal to rap fans who may be looking for an alternative angle to approach his music. It’s a cool look at just how artists experiment with sounds and styles until they find ones that work and a reminder never to judge a book by its cover.
