! (Trippie Redd Song)
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''!'' (pronounced as ''Exclamation Mark'') is the second studio album by American rapper
Trippie Redd Michael Lamar White IV (born June 18, 1999), known professionally as Trippie Redd, is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, he has contributed to the progression of emo rap and rage, a subgenre of trap music. His de ...
, following his debut album ''
Life's a Trip ''Life's a Trip'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American rapper Trippie Redd. It was released on August 10, 2018, by TenThousand Projects and Caroline Distribution. The album features guest appearances from Diplo, Young Thug ...
'' (2018). It was released on August 9, 2019, by TenThousand Projects and
Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label that was founded in 1973. Founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976 and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. The label rel ...
. The album includes appearances from The Game, Lil Duke,
Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...
and Redd's then-
girlfriend A girlfriend is a woman who is a friend, acquaintance or partner to the speaker, usually a female companion with whom one is platonically, romantically, or sexually involved. In a romantic context, this normally signifies a committed r ...
Coi Leray Coi Leray Collins (born May 11, 1997) is an American rapper and singer. The daughter of rapper and media executive Benzino, she began her musical career in 2018 with the release of her debut mixtape, ''Everythingcoz''. She signed with Republic ...
. The album also originally included the song "They Afraid of You" (featuring
Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...
), but it was removed from streaming services just six days after its release, on August 15, 2019. Production was primarily handled by Hammad Beats, MTK, OZ, and Chopsquad DJ, among others. ''!'' sees Trippie Redd delve further into
emo rap Emo rap is a subgenre of Hip hop music, hip hop with influence from emo. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as trap-style beats with vocals that are usually sung. Some ...
;
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
wrote that " part of the sonically esoteric but staggeringly high-selling emo-rap brigade, White knows how to blur the boundaries of hip-hop, to send shockwaves through its foundations." The album was supported by two singles: Under Enemy Arms and Mac 10 (featuring
Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...
and Lil Duke). Trippie Redd and other sources consider it as an EP. The record project was a commercial success, peaking at a higher point on the ''
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
'' despite moving fewer
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s in its first week than ''Life's a Trip''. The album was initially met with mixed critical reviews but resonated positively with listeners.


Background

On May 29, 2019, Trippie was featured on Beats 1 Radio and confirmed that his upcoming album would be called “!”. He also confirmed that
Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...
and The Game would be featured on the album. The album's name is a reference to
XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gai ...
's album '' ?''; RapReviews opined that the album "is a tribute to his edd'sfallen comrade." It has also been speculated that the name is short for the word 'Immortal'. On May 29, 2019, Trippie Redd released the lead single from the project: a song called “Under Enemy Arms”. In June 2019, Redd stated that the purpose of the album was all about "elevation" and taking the next step in his career. During the 2019 Wireless Festival, Trippie confirmed the album’s release date of 9 August 2019.


Promotion

Redd held an album release party in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.


Songs


Tracks 1-7

The album's opener, "!", is produced by
Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...
. The two previously collaborated on
Wish A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used. Sociology Several cu ...
. The song opens with the voice of Apple’s
Siri Siri ( , backronym: Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) is a digital assistant purchased, developed, and popularized by Apple Inc., which is included in the iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, Apple TV, audioOS, and visionOS operating sys ...
repeating the album’s title. The next song, "Snake Skin", focuses on themes of
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
. Redd stated: "It's kind of suicidal, in a stay away from it type of shit... That's the whole concept of it, stay away from suicide. Don't worry about what other people say, you could be doing what they're doing or even better than them. It's just living life and knowing how to overcome shit." The third track, "Be Yourself", stands as the sequel to “I Know How to Self Destruct” ('' A Love Letter to You 2''). Redd previewed the track in late 2018. Lyrically, the song calls for people to remain strong in the face of life’s trials. Redd also makes it clear that he will not tolerate anyone who fails to follow this principle.


Tracks 8-13

Trippie Redd released a song on the album called "Lil Wayne" and the rapper of the same name helped Redd write the song. However, review site ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' fictitiously claimed that the song "isn't indebted to him, stylistically or otherwise." Initially, the record project was supposed to contain a collaboration with Lil Wayne, but after the song leaked online Redd replaced it with "Lil Wayne".


Other

The album previously contained the track "They Afraid of You" (featuring
Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...
), but it was later removed from streaming services and physical releases just six days after its release, on August 15 2019. ''RapReviews'' speculated that there had been sample clearance issues.


Critical reception

''!'' was met with mixed reviews. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a
normalized Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...
rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an
average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 59, which indicates "mixed or average reviews", based on 6 reviews. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' described the album as "compelling but contradictory emo-rap", noting lyrical contradictions and concluding it "is doubtless part of the genre's forward march – but it's hard to get past the sense that White has sacrificed a coherent artistic identity in the name of progress." ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' opined that the "songs touch on being true to oneself at all costs, but these half-baked lessons land flat since Redd himself doesn't really have an identity, musical or otherwise", and concluded that "the most enjoyable moments feel like controlled chaos. Redd ..does at least sound more composed. That's to his credit as a person but it's not to his advantage as an artist." Nevertheless, community feedback suggested that "!" has resonated positively with many listeners, many of whom described the album as "underrated" or "overhated". " Mac 10" and "Immortal", among other songs, were identified as highlights of the album. ''Blurred Culture'' said that "''!'' is truly a personal glimpse into his edd'sown life." The magazine concluded: "The album has a bit of everything for everyone. ... On this album, Trippie Redd does a great job of trying new sounds and styles. It's still dark, emotional Trippie, but he is really showcasing his versatility here."


Commercial performance

The album debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 51,000
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s, of which 7,000 were pure album sales in its first week. The album charted behind only
Slipknot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...
's ''
We Are Not Your Kind ''We Are Not Your Kind'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Recorded at EastWest Studios in Hollywood, California with co-producer Greg Fidelman (who previously produced the band's 2014 album '' .5: The Gray Cha ...
'' and
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...
' '' Port of Miami 2''. ''!'' thus became Redd's third top 10 album in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, all three of which charted in the previous 12 months.


Track listing

Credits adapted from
Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...
. Notes * "They Afraid of You" (featuring
Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...
) originally appeared on the album, but was later removed (including physical), and from all streaming platforms.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


References

{{Authority control 2019 albums Trippie Redd albums Albums produced by Wheezy Albums produced by Bobby Raps Albums produced by Diplo Albums produced by Murda Beatz Albums produced by Frank Dukes Albums produced by WondaGurl Albums produced by Chopsquad DJ 10K Projects albums