Trippie Redd may have plenty of smash bangers under his belt, but don’t let that take away from his overall versatility as an artist. The Ohio native is further proving that point with a new two-pack of tracks titled First Draft, which see him going in a more acoustic direction with pained vocals. This dual drop comes just a couple of months after “Big 14” with Moneybagg Yo and Offset, and after he’s called his upcoming album A Love Letter To You 5 his best work to date.
The first track, “Save Me, Please,” is a despondent acoustic ballad not unlike his previous forays into emo and balladry. HIs voice is mournful and strained in this cut, underscored by the minimal and echoed acoustic guitar passages. Trippie’s working with just those two elements throughout the song, with some electric guitar lines to inject some melody, and the results are compelling. He seems to be singing about a struggling relationship. He’s “tired of the fighting,” lamenting the distance between them, and begging them to save him from himself. It’s a short moment, but a tender one nonetheless. “Save Me, Please” was also accompanied by a music video that depicts Trippie in candlelit church rooms, dark hallways, and a moonlit forest.
“1st Degree Murder” is the second track on First Draft, and it’s also in a hazy state of romantic reckoning. The 23-year-old says he’d kill if someone talks down on his love and proclaims the elevated state they put him in. This track, however, has much more of a melodic trap flavor than the first, with a wavy snap beat and an impassioned vocal delivery that gets the melody stuck in your head.
Since Trippie continues to build out his many musical influences (and has a $30 million deal with 10k Projects), we’re sure to get a versatile and vivid rage when he drops A Love Letter To You 5 soon. Stay tuned to HotNewHipHop for the latest updates on that, and check out “Save Me, Please” and “1st Degree Murder” below.
Quotable Lyrics
And it don’t matter if you’re far away
Just bang my line and I’m on the way
You know I don’t play ’bout you and me
It’s gon’ be murder in the first degree