The Road to Trippie Redd's Debut Album 'Life's a Trip'

Here are the major milestones on the way to Trippie's long-awaited project.

Trippie in Charlotte
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Rapper Trippie Redd performs at Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre on May 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Trippie in Charlotte

Trippie Redd always stood out. From his earliest recordings, the Atlanta-by-way-of-Ohio rapper took a pop sensibility, a punk attitude, trap beats, and something new and indefinable and put them together into a unique mix. After years of building a reputation through SoundCloud-driven free releases, Trippie is now just days away from dropping his debut album, Life’s a Trip. It’s been a long road to get here. Below are some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the journey.

June 18, 1999: The Beginning

Trippie ATL

2014: Dirty Redd Dies, and Trippie’s Music Career Begins

Trippie Empire Quavo

Summer/Fall 2016: Moving South and First Releases

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After finishing his time at GlenOak High School, Trippie moves to Atlanta and hooks up with Kodie Shane and Lil Wop. He releases three EPs between August and November of that year.

November 24, 2016: “Love Scars”

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Shortly after putting out his early EPs, Trippie releases what will become his biggest song to date, “Love Scars.” The song was famously recorded in one take. A video would drop the following June.

June 2017: First Reports of the Record Deal

Elliot and pops

August 2017: Coach K

coach K miami

November 30, 2017: “TR666” Begins

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In late November, Trippie previews a new track featuring Swae Lee and produced by Scott Storch. It’s tentatively titled “Lead the Youth,” but on its release a month later, it will be called “TR666.”

As for the use of “666,” commonly known as the Number of the Beast, in the track’s title, Trippie later explains it this way: “Six protons, six neutrons, six electrons. Melanin in black people’s skin. Why I say ‘TR666’ is that Trippie Redd is black. But Trippie Redd is also dark. I make dark music. But I’m black, so I use it as a metaphor… This is black power shit.”

December 5, 2017: A Dark Knight

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The Travis Scott-featuring “Dark Knight Dummo” comes out at the end of 2017. It picks up steam and is certified platinum the following June.

The song’s name causes some controversy, as some think it is a shot at Trippie’s labelmate and frenemy 6ix9ine, who put out the similarly titled “Gummo” a few months prior.

February 9, 2018: Officially QC

May 9, 2018: Bigger Than Satan

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In a now-deleted Instagram post, Trippie releases a snippet of a music video for an unreleased track called “Bigger Than Satan.” The full song won’t see the light of day until late July.

June 2, 2018: “I Kill People”

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Trippie continues his beef with 6ix9ine by releasing the full version “I Kill People,” a song he had teased a few weeks prior. The track features Tadoe and Chief Keef. It takes its title from a threat Tadoe made to 6ix9ine on a leaked FaceTime call.  

June 21-22, 2018: “Me Likey,” Pt. 1

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In what may be an attempt to bring the focus back to his music rather than his behavior, Trippie releases two new tracks, “Me Likey” and “How You Feel,” more or less simultaneously.

July 19, 2018: “Me Likey,” Pt. 2

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Trippie releases “Like That,” featuring Lil Durk and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. It is, as one outlet puts it, an “upgraded” version of “Me Likey.”

July 31, 2018: The Release Date

August 6, 2018: The Final Tracklist

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