album review: Trip Lee - Between Two Worlds

Band: Trip Lee
Title: Between Two Worlds
Label: Reach Records
Release Date: June 22, 2010
Reviewer: BMer

Tracklisting:

1. Real Life Music (2:54)
2. Snitch (4:06)
3. Invade ft. J. Paul (4:00)
4. Prognosis (4:21)
5. No Worries (4:05)
6. Covenant Eyes ft. PRo (3:56)
7. Life 101 ft. Chris Lee (4:05)
8. I Love Music ft. Sho Baraka (4:11)
9. Limitations ft. Leah Smith (4:22)
10. Yours To Own ft. Jimmy Needham (4:04)
11. Apathy (Interlude) (0:51)
12. Twisted ft. Lecrae, PRo, Thi’sl (4:52)
13. Bear With You ft. Tedashii (4:37)
14. Show’s Over ft. Mitch Parks (4:25)
15. The Invasion (Hero) ft. Jai (5:37)
16. My Lord (Bonus Track) (4:01)

-

Well I had to dust off the 12’s for this one. Trip Lee, of the 116 Clique, releases his third full-length album titled Between Two Worlds on Reach Records. This record is the kind of record that goes against the common belief that Christians make bad art;Between Two Worlds is solid throughout! Trip Lee’s vocal style is reminiscent of fellow southern rapper T.I., but that’s where the comparison ends; T.I. spent last year in prison while Trip Lee spent last year touring and spreading the Good News.

There are 16 tracks on the album, only one of which is an interlude. The rest are full-length hip-hop songs featuring guest work from Pro, Sho Baraka, Lecrae, Tedashii, Thi’sl, and even Jimmy Needham. The opening track, “Real Life Music”, is awesome! No need for an intro track the listener is greeted with some violins before the beat kicks in and Trip Lee’s smooth southern delivery lets us know that he’s “…back for the third time, you know where to find me; Hanging on the coattails of Christ who designed me.” Throughout the album Trip’s faith is bold and prominent, but it does not make the songs clumsy or gimmicky like some Christian music can be. These songs can slide effortlessly alongside most mainstream rap artists.

It doesn’t take long for Trip Lee to bring a little controversy; his second track is titled “Snitch”. The track features the term snitch throughout, a term that could possibly be the worst label someone can inherit, the label “snitch” is usually related to violience in darker walks of life. However, Trip’s goal in this track is to let people know that he confesses his sins to the Lord, then to his family, he’s snitching on himself. It’s a good track with a clever idea; however I’m not sure if people are comfortable calling themselves a snitch in public.

There are a few standout tracks on Between Two Worlds. “The Invasion” is probably the best track and it’s unfortunate that it’s all the way at the end of the album. The guest vocals by Jai are excellent. “Covenant Eyes” and “I Love Music” are fun songs, the former featuring a really cool sample of someone whistling (like at a girl) throughout that is pretty creative. “Twisted” features a few of my favorite rappers, Lecrae and Thi’sl, but the track lacks a powerful hook needed to make it a standout. “Invade” is another great track featuring strings and chill beat giving it an almost epic feel. The tracks produced by Joseph Prielozny (“Real Life Music”, “Invade”, “I Love Music”, and “The Invasion”) definitely standout as the better tracks on the album.

OVERALL this is another solid album from Trip Lee, Between Two Worlds is one of the best rap albums of the year. Not every track is a winner but as a complete collection there are definitely more highs than lows. Trip Lee continues to mature as a rapper and his career is only starting to take shape (he’s only 22 years old). The production quality on this album is on par with most mainstream productions and Christian rap as a whole continues to improve its street cred with albums like this. Buhlee Dat!

Review written for IndieVisionMusic.com