Trippie Redd has always had a different approach to making music compared to other rap artists. His range is both eclectic and unique; from traditional rap, to R&B, and now even rock & roll. Known originally for his “emo rap” sound, he continues to break barriers and blend genres on this new album.
Before Trippie Redd became big in the rap game, he wanted to be a rock star. So when he released Neon Shark vs Pegasus, his true fans were not surprised.
We first got a taste of this album when Trippie released his single “DREAMER” back in 2020, which gave us old Trippie vibes with a moodier beat and slow guitar. However, this type of music wasn’t new for his fans. He has released similar songs like “How You Feel” from LIFE’S A TRIP, one of his more popular guitar-driven slow jams.
Neon Shark was dropped as the deluxe version of his new rap album Pegasus, hence the complete album name. This deluxe is his newest release with producer Travis Barker. We know Barker as the drummer from the legendary 2000’s rock band Blink -182, and it’s obvious Trippie was in amazing hands with this mentor. The album is filled with slow rock songs accompanied by his iconic low melodic voice, featuring Barker’s drumming, and electric guitars.
So how did this unlikely pair create a whole album together? In an interview with Rolling Stone Australia, Trippie said he just called Barker up and showed him a few songs. Barker liked the songs, and it went from there. He liked the chemistry they had in making the album. Trippie says he was inspired by bands such as Nirvana and Deftones for this new album, and Barker felt that was the style he knew the most about.
He explained in an interview with Shirley Ju that he uses both animals that the albums are named after to symbolize how he felt in the making of both of these albums. He named it Neon Shark vs Pegasus in wondering which people liked better – his rap side or his rock side.
His rock album includes features from Machine Gun Kelly, blackbear, Scarlxrd, ZillaKami, and more. Now MGK and Trippie Redd are not a new dynamic, they’ve been making songs together for years like “Candy” and “all I know”. However, neither reached the level of rock that Neon Shark has.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of Trippie, or just like rock music and want to try to something different, give his album a listen.
