Trippie Redd's Pegasus

As a pure product of the SoundCloud generation, Trippie Redd is often compared to rappers like XXXTentacion and Juice WRLD. But don’t get it twisted: over the years (months actually – his career has skyrocketed) the Ohio artist has more than stood out from the crowd. And he continues to do so on this album with its kitschy album cover and tracklist. Pegasus is amazing right from the off.

Trippie Redd creates an extremely elaborate atmosphere with stunning tracks like the profound Let It Out (featuring Myiah Lynnae), constructing a world made from big linear soundscapes, murky bridges and instrumental passages. It’s quite possibly his best release yet. With Moonlight’s varied vocals and Excitement’s fierce chorus, this debut album sure is a heavy hitter.

Though Trippie Redd seems to have channeled all his creativity into the early tracks. From the track Pegasus onwards, where he tells us that the winged horse is a metaphor for himself in bed, the album spins into routine. There are some very predictable featurings like Chris Brown on Mood or Young Thug on Spaceships.

But there are a few nice surprises as well, like when he joins forces with Busta Rhymes on I Got You and draws from the rapper’s 2002 hit with Mariah Carey - I Know What You Want. Red Beam and Good Morning are also very well written, as is the album’s finale where the rapper catches his breath and returns to the main essence of Pegasus: melodic, thoughtful, sophisticated and daring rap.

LISTEN TO "PEGASUS" BY TRIPPIE REDD ON QOBUZ

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