Every Ending Has A New Beginning Posted March 04, 2022 By JoshuaGalla_NRT, Staff Reviewer
What You Need To Know: Recently relocating back to his hometown of Dallas Texas, hip-hop veteran Trip Lee returns to the active music scene with the release of his seventh project, titled The End. Designated as one of the founding members of Reach Records and the 116 Clique movement in 2005, the last 17 years have been quite the journey for Lee. His resume is as follows: authored two books and working on his third. A recent pastor at his childhood church, Concord Church. He’s also begun learning the craft of music production. Lee possesses one of the most authentic and hilarious personalities in the CHH space.
As most know, Lee has been relatively absent since his last project (The Waiting Room) was released, but with good reason. He stated, “It’s been about five years (2016) since I released an album and it wasn’t because I wasn’t inspired to make music or that I haven’t been creative,” shares Lee. “I didn’t have the time or energy to pastor and bring a project to completion. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to step away from my daily pastoring duties and focus on bringing the ministry through the music.”
Although, time in-between releases have been sprinkled with a few singles, touring, and appearances on music from his label mates. During this hiatus, Lee focused on pastoring, family, and managing personal health issues related to chronic fatigue syndrome.
Lee’s first signs of new music for the album appeared on the Reach Records Presents Summer ‘21 playlist with the track, "You Got It." Due to its popularity, the track was even featured on NFL ads during the regular season for promotion of the NFL Shop’s website. He proceeded forward with two more singles (“Supernatural” and “Stone”) leading up to the release of The End. on March 4. The artistry of Lee’s talents and creativity extended into three dynamic music videos accompanying the singles with a fourth dropping on the album’s release date.
The End. is a new beginning as fans will be captivated to learn the concepts behind the album and what’s planned in the near future.
What it Sounds Like: With no lack of free time during the pandemic, Lee captured this opportunity to learn and experiment with music production. The end product was a renewed sound powered behind his witty wordplay and lyrical praise of our Lord Most High. A reasonable chunk of the album was either solely produced or co-produced by Lee. The mastermind production genius Mashell (Leroy) co-piloted the rest resulting in innovation and a thematic experience. The infusion of analog, synthesizers, and other common instrumentation mutated into a unique soundscape crossing an 80s video game or movie soundtrack with current production trends.
Mashell and industry heavyweight JUICEBANGERS tag-teamed the production efforts on the third single “Stone” presenting the best electronic representation of sound heard throughout all 15 tracks. The innovation is brilliant and new to the classic Lee sound, however, acts more as a complement to his already notorious flow.
Standout tracks include “Right Out The Gate,” “Witness” featuring Wande and WHATUPRG, and “Call It Life.” The stomping of the hardened piano chords on “Right Out The Gate” puts me in mind of the genius production Dr. Dre is famous far. “Witness” features one of Wande’s strongest feature efforts and stamps her current season of “Blande” and her skill to “rap RAP” over beats. “Call It Life” has a genius surprise fans are sure to applaud.
Fans are treated to something new related to the soundscape and overall production and something old in Lee’s iconic delivery, voice, and playful bars. Once the ears adjust, this record will be on repeat for any true Lee fan.
Spiritual Highlights: Equipped with a pastoral background, Lee’s no stranger to God’s Word and teachings. Spiritual content has been a mainstay of Lee’s music and this time around is no different. The End. is filled with scriptural references, influence, and content. “Stone” for example contains snippets from the founding pastor, Dr. E.K. Bailey, of Lee’s current (and childhood) church home; Concord Church. “Homecoming” speaks to the transition from this life into our eternal home. “Supernatural” talks about how much we need spiritual intervention in our daily lives. There are gems of spiritual content throughout.
Lee’s faith and spiritual walk are smothered over each track in one facet or another. One of my favorite lines is in “Supernatural” where he says, “I wish everybody knew my God, the healer, the cancer killer.” God’s strength and healing sustain Lee and myself included day-to-day.
Best Song on the Record:
The album contains quite a few standout tracks. However, I picked “Right Out The Gate” for several reasons. First, the production. The soundscape is diverse, outlined in synthesizer and analog vibes with moments of brilliance.
The low octave booming sound of piano keys that enter in around the 0:29 mark of the track is incredible. Add-In the string of synth keys that arrive around the 0:58 mark and a masterpiece is formed. Combined with powerful 808’s and light high-hat taps, this beat is stamped as one of my all-time favorites in CHH.
The content aligns beautifully with the surrounding sounds serving as sort of a reintroduction to Lee’s unique voice and wordplay genius. You just hear his love for artistry and rapping cemented by the lines of, “I would still do this for no pay (it would be kind of hard though I’m not gon’ lie).” This track has been on constant repeat since the release of the album and I do not sense that will change for weeks to follow.
Final Word: Trip Lee literally self-taught himself how to play the keys (piano), produce beats and decipher the ins and outs of music production during the downtime of the COVID-19 pandemic. As hinted at, Lee basically produced the entire album with the influence of Mashell’s genius and a few other industry friends. The end result was a creative, innovative, and fresh sound serving as the playground for Lee to integrate his talents lyrically bouncing around witty wordplay, playful adlibs, and spiritual influence. Each track has a unique feel, as the project doesn’t seem redundant. The tempo doesn’t stray far from upbeat and energetic, but a few worship vibes exist such as “All Mine” featuring Taylor Hill and “Dreamin.” The story told reunites fans from old with fans of the modern-day. It’s classic Trip Lee with a fresh coat of paint one could say.
“Every season has an ending and every ending has a new beginning,” Lee emphasized during the beginning of the album rollout. These words of promise and of bright days ahead are encouraging and felt throughout. This may not be tagged as Lee’s best album to date; however, I definitely believe it’s one of his most imaginative and all-encompassing projects. His legacy throughout the last 17 years echoes from start to finish tinted with ingenuity. Lee ignored industry trends and standards creating a sound of his own. My springtime road trips have a new soundtrack and my ears couldn’t be more grateful.
Stream The End. on Spotify or purchase the album on iTunes.
