Three for three in 2023? You be the judge, but Trippie Redd definitely made his case with his third project on the year, SAINT MICHAEL.
Initially holding seven tracks (Nov. 10), the 1400 rapper dropped its full version on Friday (Nov. 24). Packed with 17 songs and features from K Suave and YTB Fatt, new highlights like the long-teased “Wizard 101,” “Pepe Lit,” “Psychotic Lunatic,” “Skeletons” and others further prove SAINT MICHAEL’s breadth of infection, evident in Trippie’s year-end revival.
Following January’s Mansion Musik and A Love Letter To You 5, the Canton, Ohio native remains as one of the few SoundCloud-era torchbearers still holding its flame. SAINT MICHAEL feels reminiscent of this era, yet sees Trippie reside in a space of fluidity and freedom. Touting Jersey club bops produced by Cash Cobain (“Pray 4 Us”), sample-clad ALLTY3 scorchers (“Van Cleef Island,” “1716 Osage”) and a timestamp ode a la Drake on “7am in Ohio,” Trip is in his bag — especially on “Skeletons,” “Pepe Lit” and “Van Cleef Island:”
Marked by sets at Summer Smash and Rolling Loud, the red-dreaded emcee’s 2023 was also highlighted by guest spots. Lending vocals to Tory Lanez’s Alone At Prom loosie “Hurts Me” — which ended up on the album’s deluxe this month (Nov. 17) — SAINT MICHAEL is the album Trippie fans have been waiting on since ALLTY4 dropped. Moments with K Suave and Fatt feel more meaningful due to their ties with Redd (see how Teezo Touchdown, Suave and Trip are all long-linked). It’s not to say Mansion and ALLTY5 didn’t have their highs (“Praying For Love,” “Knight Crawler”), but it’s clear the effort and purpose Trippie possesses on SM is as natural as his performances.
What Redd brings into 2024, though, hopes to keep this same type of energy. SAINT MICHAEL: A new Trippie Redd classic?
Listen to ‘Saint Michael’ below!
