''The Good Life'' is the fourth studio album from Christian rap artist

Trip Lee William Lee Barefield III (born December 17, 1987), better known by his stage name Trip Lee, is an American Christian rapper and singer. Signed to Reach Records, he has recorded both as a solo artist and as a founding member of the 116 Clique. ...

. The album was released in 2012, through

Reach Records Reach Records is an American independent record label specializing in Christian hip hop. The label was founded in 2004 by Ben Washer and the hip-hop artist Lecrae. In addition to Lecrae, the Reach Records roster contains artists like Tedashii, ...

. The album includes features from

Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ind ...

Andy Mineo Andrew Aaron Mineo (born April 17, 1988), is an American Christian hip hop artist, producer, music executive, and video director based in New York City. He is signed to Reach Records and his creative initiative Miner League. In addition to ...

, KB, and

Jimmy Needham Jimmy Needham (born August 22, 1985) is an American contemporary Christian musician signed to Inpop Records. He released debut album, ''For Freedom'', an independent release, in 2005, and after signing with the Christian record label Inpop in 2 ...

, among others. Four singles were released for the album, "One Sixteen (featuring Andy Mineo and KB)", "I'm Good (featuring Lecrae)", "Fallin' (featuring J. Paul)", and "Robot". Three promotional music videos were released for the album for three of the four singles, "I'm Good", "Fallin", and "One Sixteen". It was released to critical acclaim, with critics praising Trip's flow, pop-style hooks, high-quality beats, moody electronics, and lyricism.

Album concept

The album artwork shows Lee's face with a distinct orange line through it, signifying that he is "no longer a robot". The overall theme of "no longer being a robot" follows suit in all of the songs on the album, sending a message of freedom from sin through the gospel and not conforming to the ways of this world. It takes its idea from Romans 12:2, which reads, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will". Lee wanted to explore and redefine "The Good Life," arguing that "though the world, the flesh, and the devil lie to us about what the good life is, we don't have to be controlled by those lies. We don't have to be robots. We can choose life." Lee wanted to "challenge the lies we've been told, and present a more glorious picture." It directly challenges and addresses such hot button issues like

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

lust Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It can ...

, the love of

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

, and excessive

consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the supp ...

. Overall, Lee wanted to "point his listeners to the grace found in the gospel".

Sales

''The Good Life'' debuted at No. 17 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of over 22,000 units, making it the sixth-highest charting Christian Hip Hop Album of all-time (tied with

Tedashii Tedashii Lavoy Anderson (born March 8, 1977), known simply as Tedashii, is an American Christian hip hop artist and member of the hip-hop troupe, 116 Clique. He also hosted the NGEN Radio show "Serium". Tedashii has released five solo albums, ...

's ''

Below Paradise ''Below Paradise'' is the fourth studio album from Christian hip hop recording artist Tedashii, released on May 27, 2014 by Reach Records. Based on his struggle to deal with the death of his son, the album tackles issues of pain, suffering, and t ...

'').

Book and further promotional material

To further elaborate on his ideas, on September 20, 2012 Lee wrote and released a book with the same title to accompany the album. It has a foreword by Matt Chandler. To accompany the book, Lee released a remix of "Robot", and "I'm Good," as well as a new song, "Tell It".

Track listing

References

2012 albums Trip Lee albums Reach Records albums Albums produced by Swoope Albums produced by Gawvi {{2010s-hiphop-album-stub