I’m sure many of today’s CHH artists would love to be in Trip Lee’s position.  Many would love to have their music heard by saints and sinners alike all around the world.  To know that so many people will hear your thoughts and feelings must be the greatest reward an artist can receive.  However, as our Savior said, “To whom much is given much is required”, and this is what many of those aspiring artists forget.  To be an artist with Trip’s popularity carries a weight many can’t handle, especially when you consider the fact that with each album released there are more people to please.  Does this album please?

The intro comes in quite fiercely with a cello and violin laced track.  Trip comes in energetic and reminds the listener of who he was pre-Christ.  Sho Baraka is featured and brings a depth to the track with the deep thought inspiring lyrics we’ve come to expect from the Sho.  Fortunately, Trip follows in the same vein and spits deep lyrics with a heart-felt conviction.   The intro is pretty good and the gladiator chants in the beginning really sets the mood for action.   

The poppy, “Robot”, follows the intro.  This song is obviously meant to make you move or get the crowd amped up when they come to the concert.  Though the hook is very repetitive and sure to come off as annoying to many, I’m sure many will find themselves chanting “I’m notta, I’m notta robot now!” over and over again subconsciously (as I did).  

“I’m Good”, featuring Lecrae will immediately come off to many as the standout track on this album.  Backed by a grungy, smokin’ hot electric guitar, good lyrics and a powerful Lecrae laced hook, “I’m Good” would’ve been a good 1st single as opposed to “Robot”.  The standout quotable of this track is hear almost immediately and delivered by Trip:  “I don’t’ know what they feelin’, I don’t what they thinkin’, bro my soul’s invincible like Mario when he blinkin’”.   Here Trip shows the simile ability but he uses it too sparingly in my opinion.  Would be nice to hear more of these.

Unfortunately, Trip doesn’t keep the momentum of “I’m Good” going.  He follows it with “War”.  When you see a title like that you immediately start thinking about a powerful track with strong lyrical content and music you can play to get you charged.  This is not the case for this track.  My immediate thought after hearing this song was that Trip must have been trying to gain some new fans.  Besides the vocal sample not really fitting with the flow of the song, the music is pretty bland.  Bringing this track in after “I’m Good” is a sequencing mistake in my opinion.  

“iLove” isn’t a bad track but still has that “filler track” feel.  Due to this you’ll likely find yourself skipping from track three all the way to track seven.  If you were wondering if Reach artists could make tracks with soul you’ll be very pleased by “Know Me (Word)”.   The Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes sample, “You know how to me feel good” is chopped to perfection and allows Trip to weave lyrics together that remind you of Nas’ “Power” from back in the 90s.   Trip speaks on behalf of the Bible and makes a plea to the listener.  He cleverly discusses how many people from all walks of life view the Word of God.  

Track 7 appears to be a turning point in the album because this is followed by one of the strongest tracks on the album.  The eclectic sounding “One Sixteen” featuring Andy Mineo and KB will likely bang for a long time.   This track goes hard because it sounds like each participant hopped in a cypher and tried to out do each other reppin’ the Christ.  I think a little friendly competition is good from time to time.  Each rhymer pulls out all sorts of verbal tricks.  If I was judging who used their one sixteen to rep the Christ the best, I’d say Andy came in and smashed his verse.  He posed the question “When you heard a story bout’ the hero dying for the villain?”  This line along with other powerful, well timed, quotables led me to give the One Sixteen crown to Andy.  This track is so dope it makes me wonder why the whole Reach fam wasn’t on it.  Remember when every No Limit album had one song with almost everybody on the team on it?  This track would’ve been perfect for that.  Maybe that’s something Reach will explore in the future.

I didn’t know it at the time but  “One Sixteen” was the zenith of the album.  The second half of the album is filled with songs that have decent musical value but happen to be quite shallow musically as well.  It’s not like songs like “Beautiful Life” featuring V. Rose and “Take Me There” featuring Jimmy Needham don’t speak on relevant topics and offer hope to many but they sound too much like an attempt to cross fan bases.  Both of these songs have nice hooks but I can’t imagine these songs being remembered by many of Trips fans.

These two songs are followed by a string of equally flavorless tracks like “Fantasy” featuring Suzy Rock, “Love On Display” featuring Andy Mineo.  Again, these tracks feature popular artists and have relevant messages but miss the mark of grabbing the attention of the listener.  In another genre these last four tracks mentioned might turn some heads but overall this is Hip Hop music and this genre demands music that touches us in a way no other genre can.  There are some tracks that accomplish this on this project but many of the songs fail at this and will likely end up on skip over road by many of Trip’s established fan-base.

In closing, unless you’re new to this genre of Christ centered hip hop you know Reach records artists are known for high quality music.  This is not the issue at hand here.  Every track is well produced and has good musical value in terms of the instruments used and changeups found on many tracks.  However, when it comes to making music that touches us or makes us feel something, this project misses in grand fashion.  This is the dilemma artists with the popularity that Trip has been blessed with are going to face:  How can I grow as an artist, please my faithful fans, and gain new fans at the same time?  This is a problem many have faced especially when trying to break into new markets.  There is an answer but few have found it and I suggest Trip keep searching.  

Lyrically, Trip is more than capable of delivering stellar quotables but there aren’t many on this project.  This album comes off as an offering from an artist who is no longer hungry.  The last song of this album is a wonderful ode to his wife.  Being married myself, I appreciate this track greatly and can empathize with his sentiments.  I too know how life can get on cruise control when Christ is blessing you with “The Good Life”, and how hard it is to stay motivated to take your career to the next level.  I believe this album is the result of this.  

Let’s be honest, Trip is likely going to be nominated for some awards for this release but it’s the opinion of the writer that other projects will be more deserving.  With Trip’s talent, resources, and unforgettable signature sound and delivery, I’d expect better music from him and I know he’s more than capable of creating timeless classics.   On a positive note, if you’re a new Trip fan then you’ll find he displays musical versatility and a willingness to embrace what could possibly be a new chapter and new direction for his music.   

Categorical Ratings Breakdown:

Originality/Creativity: 2.5/5
Lyrics: 3/5
Delivery: 4/5
Beat Selection/Production: 3/5
Concept/Arrangement: 3/5

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