Trippie Redd
ListenSD’s in-depth look at performance of Trippie Redd, one of the many rising stars at Day N Night.
It’s Sunday afternoon and I approach the day stage at Day N Night 2017. It’s been three days of non-stop crowd moshing, photo taking, and taco eating for me. Having rested for some time, I made my way to Trippie Redd’s performance, where I anticipated a small crowd, consisting of unamused young adults likely to be hungover or exhausted from standing on their feet for three days. Instead, I observed a crowd eager to shout and dance to the tune of the music being played. The crowd was even louder than the song Trippie Redd walked out to. As I made my way towards the photo pit, I could already tell this was going to be one of the most significant performances of the festival.
Trippie Redd
In 2017, a typical rap performance usually consists of an artist unashamedly lip-syncing their greatest hits, occasionally saying words at the end of a hook, aaaaand that’s about it. The opposite was the case for Trippie Redd. He immediately walked to the crowd, shaking as many hands has he could. Lyrics were being repeated not only from Trippe but also his and his massive posse beside him. Trippie Redd enjoyed his time with the audience, splashing his water onto the crowd and engaging with his fans more than any other artist that weekend. Some artists conduct their crowd, Trippie Redd, however, absorbs the energy and becomes one with it.
Trippie Redd made his way to the barrier that divides him from the crowd, and jumped. Not just for a regular stage dive, but to join the dancing and fun the fans were having. I do my best to take photos of this, but at this point I’m just in awe of how special of a performance this is. As his set comes to a close, he gives one last beaming smile and exits off stage. I walked away completely convinced that Trippie Redd’s dynamic stage presence is what’s going to take him to the top at a very quick rate.
Trippie Redd
This show marks a turning point in hip-hop history from my perspective. The Soundcloud genre of rap is a saturated market extremely hard to stand out in. So many of the other performances at Day N Night had been sorry excuses for a sub-par show, slow, and unamusing. The “Soundcloud artist” phenomena creates a new opportunity for artists to go viral and become famous off on their own accord. As with the platforms ideology, almost anyone can upload their music with ease. Thus, gaining a loyal cult following seems to be the most promising way to gain fame in underground today. The catch, then, is trying to make yourself unique and heard in a saturated market. With the opportunity to get big off one Internet hit comes the risk of a low level performer gaining all the fame. Not only did Trippie Redd manage to gather enough online hype for a great number of bodies in his crowd, but he made lasting memories for those that showed up to his performance.
Trippie Redd