Trippie Redd Calls Hip-hop Scene 'Too Divided'

US rapper and singer Trippie Redd taught listeners that emo-rap is an aesthetic, not a conversation topic with 2018’s Life’s A Trip. 

Redd, a member of the Soundcloud rap scene, has made waves in the emo-rap genre since Life’s A Trip, most recently releasing his fifth album, Mansion Musik, in January 2023. He's following it up with A Love Letter To You 5, with the lead single Took My Breath Away out now.

Mansion Musik was executive produced by Chief Keef. The album also stars hip-hop’s biggest heavy-hitters, including Future, Lil Baby, Juice WRLD, Travis Scott, DaBaby, Kodak Black and more. You’d think with such a rich, flourishing music scene, Redd would be pretty happy with what’s happening in the hip-hop music world right now. Apparently not.

Responding to Spotify’s Head of Urban Music, Carl Chery, on Twitter, Redd wrote that the scene is “too divided”. 

His reply came after Chery tweeted, “Hip Hop needs new leaders who are intentional about dictating where the music and culture are going. It feels like artists either don’t think about it or don’t want that responsibility. We need it tho. Who’s gonna step up?”

As HipHopDX reports, Redd wrote: “He right,” and “we gone bounce back tho. We let country and Spanish music take over cuz we too divided.”

“That shit lame as fuck.”

Hip-Hop needs new leaders who are intentional about dictating where the music and culture are going. It feels like artists either don’t think about it or don’t want that responsibility. We need it tho. Who’s gonna step up?

— Chery Seinfeld (@carlchery) June 17, 2023

Mansion Musik debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and moved 56,000 units in its first week. In Australia, the album landed at #73 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

While emo-rap still reigns supreme, Sydney-based Luritja artist Kanada The Loop melds hip-hop with pop-punk ala Weezer. "I'm definitely not a pioneer in it," he recently told Purple Sneakers. "People have been doing it for a long time.

“I think it's just the general thing of not being able to tie down one genre you like because you like so many [types of music]. I was just putting stuff together, and a lot of time, it straight up does not work.

"The ideas go song by song. If I put a hip-hop melody or a melodic rap thing over a more punky vibe, it won't always work. Sometimes, it sounds fucking terrible," he admitted. "It can be such a fine balance, [mixed genres] can clash with each other or sound very cheesy and forced."