Trippie Redd

Early life

Trippie Redd came up on 14th Street in Canton, Ohio, where he was born and raised. As a young kid, he became a member of the Bloods and started a crew called 1400/800, named after that same street. He has a younger brother, and his older brother, who performed as Dirty Redd, died in a car crash in 2014. Redd moved to Columbus, Ohio, a few times during his childhood.

His mom played music by Ashanti, Beyoncé, Tupac Shakur, and Nas around the house, which first got him into music. Later on, he got into a wide mix of artists: T-Pain, Kiss, Nirvana, Gucci Mane, Fountains of Wayne, the Ataris, Green Day, the Offspring, Cute Is What We Aim For, Simple Plan, the Summer Set, Hit the Lights, Marilyn Manson, and Lil Wayne. He started rapping after another local rapper named Lil Tae, whose real name is Taevion Williams, inspired him.

Taking music seriously, he recorded and put out the songs "Sub-Zero" and "New Ferrari" in 2014, but he quickly took them down. Once he finished high school, Redd moved to Atlanta. There he met rapper Lil Wop, and soon after, a record label offered him a deal.

Career

Lil Wop gave Trippie Redd his first break by hooking him up with a proper recording studio. Together with Kodie Shane, they cut three early projects: Awakening My Inner Beast, Beast Mode, and Rock the World Trippie. Redd later signed to Strainge Entertainment, now called Elliot Grainge Entertainment, and moved to Los Angeles. On May 26, 2017, he dropped his debut mixtape, A Love Letter to You, led by the single "Love Scars."

That tape took over four months to peak at number 64 on the Billboard 200, but it stuck around for 45 weeks. Redd was the only guest on XXXTentacion's album 17, appearing on the track "Fuck Love," which hit number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2023, that song went Diamond from the RIAA for moving over 10 million units—Redd's first Diamond certification. On October 6, 2017, he released A Love Letter to You 2, which debuted at number 34 on the Billboard 200.

Later that month, he and Lil Wop put out a joint EP called Angels & Demons. On December 6, 2017, Redd dropped the single "Dark Knight Dummo" with Travis Scott; it peaked at 72 on the Hot 100, marking his first chart entry as a lead artist. He also appeared on the track "18" alongside Baauer, Kris Wu, Joji, and Rich Brian. In a March 2018 Billboard interview, Redd said his debut studio album would include collaborations with Lil Wayne and Erykah Badu.

After his close friend XXXTentacion died in July 2018, Redd announced the album would be called Life's a Trip and originally planned for 26 tracks, later cutting it to 16. He put out the singles "Me Likey" and "How You Feel" on June 22, 2018, and "Taking a Walk" on August 6, 2018. Life's a Trip dropped on August 10, 2018, landing at number four on the Billboard 200, while "Taking a Walk" debuted at number 46 on the Hot 100. Later that year, Redd released A Love Letter to You 3, which climbed to number three on the Billboard 200.

Feuds

Trippie Redd first worked with 6ix9ine on the song "Poles 1469" in April 2017, and again on "Owee" that July. After a Twitter post accused 6ix9ine of being a pedophile, Redd publicly cut ties with him. The following February, 6ix9ine was jumped outside a Los Angeles airport shortly after an Instagram argument with Redd. The two kept trading insults online through March 2018.

In October 2017, a preview of Drake's "God's Plan" surfaced online; the original version had Redd singing the hook and adding a verse. Rapper XXXTentacion, who had beef with Drake, started hanging with 6ix9ine, which upset Redd.

In March 2018, XXXTentacion banned Redd from Florida, threatening to beat him up if he came. Later that month, XXXTentacion apologized during a concert, and Redd accepted, leading to a reconciliation and several collaborations. In a 2021 interview, Redd said he still thought about XXXTentacion every day.

Legal issues

Trippie Redd has had multiple run-ins with the law. Grady claimed that Redd and Lil Wop insulted his girlfriend, which made him briefly pull out a gun before throwing a punch at Redd. Grady then said he was jumped by four people, including Redd and Wop.

Redd was charged with affray, criminal trespass, and simple battery. A few weeks later, in early June, he was arrested again in Georgia for allegedly pistol-whipping a woman, facing an assault charge. On August 29, 2023, Redd and another young man were stopped in Florida for having windows tinted too dark.

Police found that neither had a valid driver's license. Redd got a citation, while his passenger was arrested for possessing cannabis. The arrest was due to an active warrant for driving without a license.

Did You Know?

• He purchased his mother a $300,000 house in March 2018.