Show Recap: Trip Lee Performs at Apple Store in New York City
An Apple retail store is not the conventional place for rappers to perform. Nevertheless, as a part of Apple’s Black Music Month Live series, Trip Lee rocked the intimate live show last night (June 19) at the West 14th Street Apple Store.
After playing his newest video “Fallin’” and having a lengthy moderated discussion, where several fans asked him various questions, Trip hit the stage with Biz, who engineers most of his projects along with occasionally DJing for him.
While many spectators waved their arms in the air and a few others stood on chairs to get a closer look at him, Lee performed “New Dreams,” “One Sixteen” and “Take Me There” before closing with his hit “Robot,” which whipped the mixed crowd into a state of frenzy.
“I might not chart again; I may not sell a milli,” Trip spit as he performed “I’m Good” off of his latest album, The Good Life. “But I been purchased by my King; He’s forever with me/So what they talking ‘bout? No, they can’t knock me down/ Yes, sir, I do feel pain, but Jesus got me now/That’s why I’m making noise; that’s why I’m running hard/That’s why I go gorilla, spitting them monkey bars.”
Much of the Dallas native’s content centers around God being that he is a devout Christian, yet he would be the first to tell anyone that he is not a Christian rapper.
“I don’t even like the term Christian rapper,” Lee told XXLMag.com backstage. “I make my music for everybody.”
Lee’s label-mate Lecrae recently released his mixtape, Church Clothes. Still, Lee is open to the idea of those types of collaborations, under a few conditions.
“I just never want to do anything that’s going to compromise what I do,” Trip expressed to XXLMag.com. “It would have to be a song where there would be honest discussion about something.”
“I actually have zero [albums] on my contract, and it’s partly because I did a three-album deal, signed that in ’05,” Lee clarified. “Did three [LPs]. Signed just for one more, for The Good Life, mainly because I’m not sure how long I’m going to keep doing it because music is one of my passions, not my only passion. I know one day I’m going to pullback; I just don’t know when that is yet, so I only signed for one more. If I do another one, I’ll only sign for one more [LP].”
With a child on the way along with his book, also titled The Good Life, set to hit shelves October 1st as well as a desire for preaching, there is no telling when the next LP for Lee will be, if ever. Despite that, if he does, it will be on Reach Records, the label he loves, and like Lecrae, the next project might be a mixtape.
“I’ve thought about it; even got a title for it,” Trip revealed. “I think I might do one. That’ll be cool to do. I got a baby on the way, man. If I was going to do it, it’ll probably be close to top of next year.”—Christopher Minaya
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