Trip slowly recognized that all of his life should be centered around Christ. โOne day, I just decided, Iโm only doing Christian hip hop. Rappers like Ambassador and Da Truth helped provide a model for how I would begin to do that,โ he says. He also had an immense desire to learn and teach the Word of God, so he became a leader in his youth group, and preached his first sermon at age 17.
In 2004, Trip met Lecrae at a concert; months later, after talking and building with each other, Lecrae began to disciple him. While still in high school, Trip was given the opportunity to pen a few devotionals for the Reach Records website that dealt with theological matters and showcased his spiritual maturity.
Trip signed with Reach Records, and his debut album, โIf They Only Knew,โ hit stores nationwide a few days after his high school graduation. His first full-length album introduced hip-hop fans to his distinct southern sound, unique delivery and gospel-saturated lyrics. That same year, Trip was also featured on the Dove Award-nominated, timeless classic โJesus Muzikโ with label mate Lecrae.
His sophomore album, โ20/20,โ was released in 2008 and garnered much success, breaking into the Billboard Top 200 and reaching #11 on the Billboard Christian albums chart and #4 on the Gospel chart. Back with his third studio album, โBetween Two Worlds,โ Trip offers a collection of reflections on life in a fallen world. True to form, his hope is that his reflections not only resonate with listeners, but also point to Jesus as the Hero.
Since his first album release, Trip has traveled the world doing concerts for thousands of listeners, and his last three summers have been spent on tours (national and international) with his Reach label mates. His Christ-centered hip-hop message has also built a platform for him among churches and other Christian organizations, which has led to numerous opportunities to preach and teach at conferences and other events.
Trip now resides in Philadelphia, PA with his wife and is pursuing a degree in Biblical Studies at Philadelphia Biblical University. He is the leader of the small groups ministry at Epiphany Fellowship, where he also preaches and teaches when called upon. Ultimately, his desire is proclaim the grace and beauty of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen. He hopes that his journey will lead to pastoring a church in the future.
HIP HOP
Trip Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hitting blocks, or getting shot fifty times
God's about His glory, so I can't be about getting mines
By saying I committed crimes, just lying to get my shine
What a tragedy, that that's become the blueprint
Spitting bout they renegades, getting weight and move bricks
All trying to make dollars and new cents, what a nuisance
They call them true, but I'm call them flu- 'cause these dudes sick
Flows that's more than overstuffed with motives of them blowing up
Hoping to get dough, hoping the right doors will open up
They focused on it so, they mouths run like motors bruh
But get a load of us, we flow with focus up
On Jehovah, we soldiers, hoping that folks will notice us
But with intentions of pointing them to great Lord
That's the reason why we make noise, and represent with great joy
Hook:
Yeah we came to spit, not for chains and chicks
But for the King of Kings we praise His name with this
And it's just one of many ways, nah we ain't slaves to this
Turn on the radio, man I heard it a million times
They live it up, and fill they cup they feeling fine
They fond of killing, and be chilling with a million dimes
It's crazy can't see, but they think they vision's fine
And if they ain't blind then I'm crazy and dumb
And they must just got they shades on, 'cause they can't see the Son
But He gave us sight, made us light, the change has begun
From a life that's fast we got to dash like Stacy we done
With spitting bout the norm, homie yeah we had to switch it upโจThe old- We had to give it up to Christ, and started giving up
A life that messed our witness up, the mic- Only for lifting up
Christ who let them pin Him up, light of the world this is us
Now me and Phish, we be in this and use the music
His beats is sick, and me I spit, we use these tunes to
Give you truth, I spit in booths, I hope you tuned in
Cause this is truth, we living proof, of Jesus moving
Yeah we came to spit, not for chains and chicks
But for the King of Kings we praise His name with this
And it's just one of many ways, nah we ain't slaves to this
As you listen, I hope that you don't think this mission's mine
This joints for Him, I just point to Him and get behind
I hope it's so hot, your jaw drops and you hit rewind
But the message is reason I'd be grieved if you missed a line
Yeah we love hip hop, and we part of the culture
But we ain't just trying to give props, or get it lots of exposure
All things only exist so they give props to Jehovah
Even this, don't be behind the times like big clocks that slowed up
Hold up, homie I ain't just trying to make the crowd move
I found truth, and now I'm trying to pass it to the sound dudes
Around me, around you, and to try to make it sound cool
I keep my ear to the streets like my face was on the ground too
We keep it loud too, cause even these music forms
Are only for His name man, hey that's why we use it for Him
And some cats will hate though they can't deny the beat is hot
We "outkast" but we still putting Christ inside your speakerbox
In "Hip Hop," Trip Lee talks about the fact that for him, hip hop is more than just rapping about glamour, violence, and making money. He asserts that for him, it's all about glorifying God, observing the truth, and directing others to the faith. He criticizes the prevailing stereotype of hip hop culture, which distorts the essence of the music genre into boasting about being tough and portraying a "gangster" lifestyle by invoking violence, drugs, and gang culture.
Additionally, the artist emphasizes the importance of living for something more meaningful than fleeting pleasures and material possessions. He notes that believers in God should live in such a way as to reflect his glory and to assist others to acknowledge God, even in their music.
Lee expresses his commitment to his faith in hip hop music and aims to debunk the toxic narrative that dismisses faith as outdated or irrelevant. He believes that hip hop is much more than just music, and its message should inspire a positive change in society.
The song captures the essence of Trip Lee's career as a Christian hip hop artist, where he uses his music to inspire and lead others in pursuing their faith. While the song was released over a decade ago, its relevance today remains, particularly given the ongoing debate in hip hop culture over the messages that music should convey.
Line by Line Meaning
For me its about more than spitting silly gritty rhymes
Hip hop is more than just rhyming words for Trip Lee
Hitting blocks, or getting shot fifty times
Glorifying crime and violence is not what hip hop is about
God's about His glory, so I can't be about getting mines
Trip Lee believes his music should focus on glorifying God, not making money
By saying I committed crimes, just lying to get my shine
He refuses to falsely glorify criminal activities in order to gain popularity
What a tragedy, that that's become the blueprint
He finds it sad that promoting crime and violence has become a common theme in hip hop music
Spitting bout they renegades, getting weight and move bricks
Many rappers brag about being rebellious and involved in drug trafficking in their music
All trying to make dollars and new cents, what a nuisance
Trip Lee believes that rappers who prioritize money over true artistry are a hindrance to the genre
They call them true, but I'm call them flu- 'cause these dudes sick
He thinks these rappers are false and misleading, and therefore 'sick'
And they contagious, each time that they throwing up
Their message spreads widely and infects a lot of people
Flows that's more than overstuffed with motives of them blowing up
Their music is focused on success and gaining wealth, rather than the art form itself
Hoping to get dough, hoping the right doors will open up
These rappers are primarily focused on making money and hope that their music will provide the opportunity to do so
They focused on it so, they mouths run like motors bruh
They talk excessively about wanting money and success
But get a load of us, we flow with focus up
Trip Lee and his musical partner, Phish, remain focused on their message of glorifying God through their music
On Jehovah, we soldiers, hoping that folks will notice us
They hope that their music will attract attention and ultimately point people towards God
That's the reason why we make noise, and represent with great joy
Their music is a means to representing and glorifying God with passion and enthusiasm
Yeah we came to spit, not for chains and chicks
Their motivation for making music is not for gaining material possessions or attention from women
But for the King of Kings we praise His name with this
Their focus is to use their music as a way of praising and glorifying God
And it's just one of many ways, nah we ain't slaves to this
Using music as a form of worship is just one of the ways they express their faith
Turn on the radio, man I heard it a million times
Popular radio stations often play music that glorifies money, violence and sex
They live it up, and fill they cup they feeling fine
Many rappers portray a lifestyle filled with money, drugs and sex as desirable
It's crazy can't see, but they think they vision's fine
These rappers have a misplaced sense of reality and what is truly important
And if they ain't blind then I'm crazy and dumb
If these rappers are aware of their misguidedness and continue, then he questions his own sanity
And they must just got they shades on, 'cause they can't see the Son
They are blind to the message of God and the importance of glorifying Him
But He gave us sight, made us light, the change has begun
Through faith in God, Trip Lee believes that he and others have been given new perspectives and a brighter path to follow
From a life that's fast we got to dash like Stacy we done
He is referring to the TV show 'Stacy Adams' which is about making quick, but bad, decisions. He's saying they need to leave behind that life and stay on track with doing the right thing.
With spitting bout the norm, homie yeah we had to switch it up
They have changed their style of music to align it with their religious beliefs
The old- We had to give it up to Christ, and started giving up
They used to make music that glorified money and sex, but have since turned towards glorifying God
A life that messed our witness up, the mic- Only for lifting up
Their old lifestyle and music conflicted with their Christian message and mission
Christ who let them pin Him up, light of the world this is us
They identify with Jesus in His sacrifice for the greater good and wanting to spread light to the world
Now me and Phish, we be in this and use the music
Trip Lee and his musical partner use their music to spread their message of faith and belief in God
His beats is sick, and me I spit, we use these tunes to
They use their music as a means of expressing their beliefs and spreading their message
Give you truth, I spit in booths, I hope you tuned in
They hope that their music will inspire their listeners to follow their faith and engage in a more meaningful way with the world around them
Cause this is truth, we living proof, of Jesus moving
Their music serves as proof of their relationship with God and the impact it has had on their lives
As you listen, I hope that you don't think this mission's mine
Trip Lee wants to make it clear that his mission is driven by his faith and not his personal ambitions
This joints for Him, I just point to Him and get behind
He sees himself as a vessel for promoting God and His message
I hope it's so hot, your jaw drops and you hit rewind
He hopes his music is impactful and inspiring to his listeners
But the message is reason I'd be grieved if you missed a line
The message of Christ in his music is so important to him that he would be upset if people missed even a single line
But we ain't just trying to give props, or get it lots of exposure
He and his musical partner arenโt creating music to gain popularity or for their own glory, it's about the message of faith they are spreading
All things only exist so they give props to Jehovah
He believes that everything exists to glorify God, including their music
Even this, don't be behind the times like big clocks that slowed up
He encourages his listeners to keep pace with their own evolving messages and personal relationship with God
Around me, around you, and to try to make it sound cool
He aims to make faith and glorifying God approachable and cool to all
I keep my ear to the streets like my face was on the ground too
He stays connected with his community and what's going on locally so that he can relate to his listeners
We keep it loud too, cause even these music forms
They want to make sure that their message of faith can reach everyone, even those that might not normally listen to religious music
Are only for His name man, hey that's why we use it for Him
He believes that music is a tool to promote God and His message to others
And some cats will hate though they can't deny the beat is hot
Some people may not like their message but they canโt help but enjoy the sound
We "outkast" but we still putting Christ inside your speakerbox
They are outcasts to some extent as they are different from many other mainstream rappers, but they are still making music to promote faith in God
Contributed by Hudson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
๊งRoberta SโกNE๊ง
Literally I thank God, I found such a wonderful rap. Thank you for that ๐
50ten
Yup ๐ amen ๐๐ผ
Acts 2:38 JESUS NAME!
I remember blasting this song in my car and the base was BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM DING!! AWWWWE It Sounded so freakin good! This is it right here!!!
Jason White
Haven't banged my head to a hip hop track for a long time!!! Super stoked on this
Acts 2:38 JESUS NAME!
I know right!!!!!!!!!!
SOWWHAT LXXXVII
great album GREAT ALBUM 100
Jack Londy
take the world by grace
Doble J
2021 noviembre ๐
Acts 2:38 JESUS NAME!
You make Lecrae Cry.. This is so much better.
Asdfghjklp Asdfghjklp
John 27
I'm EImyra
I'm a Cartoon
I'm a Girl