Album: "MANSION MUZIK" by Trippie Redd
Release date: Jan. 20, 2023
Runtime: One hour and 16 minutes
Label: 1400 Entertainment Inc./10K Projects
Grade: C+
Trippie Redd starts the year with an underwhelming outing on his most recent release, "MANSION MUZIK."
Although sonically pleasing, the album doesn't come close to reaching its full potential. The project is very monotone in both subject matter and production, which over the course of 25 songs, causes it to overstay its welcome.
The album starts with booming bass and a simplistic flow from Redd on the intro and title song, "MANSION MUZIK." The tone of the song carries through into the rest of the album to its detriment however, as the loud bass and simple flows are almost the only sonic aesthetic shown. The lyrical composition of the song does not do it any favors, as there isn't anything clever or unique in the songs' writing.
Despite being very one-dimensional, there are some highlights early on in the album.
"FULLY LOADED," injects the album with a much needed change of pace as Redd, Future and Lil Baby perform verses that are more energetic than any of the three songs before it. This song also sees Redd incorporate his childhood interests into his music — something he's been known to do throughout his career. This time, he does so by using a menacing sample of the voice of professional wrestler The Undertaker to create a sense of anticipation before the beat drops.
"KNIGHT CRAWLER," is one of the best songs on the album, featuring a catchy chorus and a charismatically-delivered verse from the late Juice WRLD. This song also sees the bass and synths paired very well, creating a unique mixture of the trap genre's frequent use of 808's and psychedelic sounding synths.
Another song, "DARK BROTHERHOOD," stands as another highlight as Lil Baby delivered another standout verse. Redd's performance on the hook also made it quite fun to sing along.
Towards the middle of the album Redd doesn't leave much to be desired. While the vocal delivery remains energetic, the artistic execution lacks creativity and leaves much of this section unmemorable, barring a few exceptions.
"GOODFELLAS (feat. Nardo Wick)," showcases Redd's rapping ability over a melodic trap beat, while "BIGGEST BIRD (feat. Summrs)" and "HIDEOUT (feat. Fijimacintosh)" do the same over more mellow instrumentals.
The final stretch of the album doesn't do much to set itself apart from the rest either. One of the only highlights was "ROCK OUT," as the instrumental leans further into Chicago drill rap more so than any other on the album, seeing both Redd and Chief Keef give one of their better performances on the project.
However, This temporary increase in quality is undercut by Rob49's performance on the chorus of "ARMAGEDDON," as he repeats the phrase "Hundred round drum on me" an exhausting 10 times throughout three of the verses.
"MANSION MUZIK" is definitely not Trippie Redd's best work. Though not void of great moments, the album's length is to its detriment and makes for a dull experience. Even with its highlights, "MANSION MUZIK," doesn't display anything close to Redd's full potential as an artist.