The artist on deck today is an independent artist with new music you need to hear. TrappDee connected with me on social media like many artists but impressed me by reaching out via email with links to his music and some unreleased new music just for me. You know a girl loves exclusives. While scanning his catalog, I was impressed by his sound and drawn in by some creative album art. Today, I share about his most recent project, an album entitled Trapp Skylark. Let’s get into it!
Who is TrappDee?
TrappDee connected with me through Instagram by way of another artist that you hear me talk about here, Pap Star. TrappDee and Pap Star have been friends for years in real life, connecting through music and a mutual friend and fellow musical artist, Jay Cash.
TrappDee is an independent artist born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, and you can hear it in his sound. I love the vibe and energy you get immediately from artists in Alabama. The sound is smooth and sexy while maintaining that mean lyricism often heard from east coast artists.
In a recent chat, I asked TrappDee to explain and define his sound. He describes his music as a wavy mix of new wave auto-tune sound blended with trap/rap and hip-hop elements. Give his music a listen. I think you will agree that his description is an accurate assessment.
TrappDee shares about Trapp Skylark
The album overall has a smooth trap vibe with lots of lyrical moments where listeners will connect. What caught my eye about this project first was the name and then the artwork. The art style of the album art for ‘Trapp Skylark‘ reminded me of the animated television series The Fairly Odd Parents, and my instincts were good there! I asked TrappDee about the meaning and motivation behind the album title, and he affirmed my suspicions.
“Trapp Skylark (the album title) was inspired by the cartoon show, The Fairy Odd Parents. There is an episode of the show with a musical sensation named Chip Skylark. Chip is a ladies’ man performing at huge shows. I think of myself much in the same way, so I chose to use Trapp (which is me) as the first name and Skylark (the last name of the character) as the last name for the album title.” The album cover features a Chip Skylark-style version of TrappDee, perfectly rounding out the concept.
The music on the album shares that same mentality of the male sex symbol and star. Below, I break down a few of my favorite moments from the album, but I encourage everyone to listen through the whole project and draw their own conclusions.
Cinnamon
This track is well-placed as the album opener because it is my favorite song from the project and makes a solid first impression. ‘Cinnamon‘ perfectly balances bold energy with a peaceful vibe. On another note, why can’t we hold hands in the mall? It’s a little toxic, but in 2022 toxic is becoming the norm.
Beep
The tempo of this track is excellent. I love a song that makes me move, so this ranks high. In analyzing the lyrics, I am a big fan of the “beep, beep, beep,” but there are times when the story behind the words is hard to follow. The track was also short, in my opinion, which left me setting it on a loop to pick up on nuances in the beat and bars.
Speak
The intro to ‘Speak‘ is SO GOOD. The track is dark, ominous, and wavy. Want to commit a crime? Pre-game with this song while getting ready. When I say this, I am so sincere – the energy in this song will make you feel like you can take on anything.
Glacier
I love the beat, energy, bars, and sound of this song. Another wavy auto-tune trap piece, ‘Glacier‘ brings those Trapp Skylark vibes describing sexual prowess, power, money, and stardom with diamond references sprinkled throughout the project. The featured artists on ‘Glacier’ brought strong verses and perfectly matched energy. I enjoyed the mixing and mastering of this track, with drums that blend well but stand on their own and vocals that hover in the sound.
Chanaynay
‘Chanaynay‘ is so much faster than other songs on the album. This song is giving me Alabama-style Twista vibes. In a previous conversation, TrappDee told me that this track is his favorite on the project, so if you are looking for an authentic look at his work in one song, this would be my recommendation for listening. TrappDee shared, “My favorite song would be Chananynay because I made it so fast, and the beat was the first beat that came up from a list of 200 I was going through.”
With Me
I love this track, too. Honestly, I like anything talking about bad bitches. ‘With Me‘ is fun, slow, sexy, and flaunts that rap star life. It is worth a listen.
Does TrappDee’s Trapp Skylark’ Make the Grade?
The project overall is fun. ‘Trapp Skylark’ balances laid-back energy with aggressive lyrics. For me, all of those things are positive. I listened through and saved every track to my own favorites on Spotify. The instrumentals are strong, the vocals are smooth, and the project is well-put-together, touting a cohesive sound. There is a lot to love on ‘Trapp Skylark.’ Themes of drug use and sexually overt messages are woven throughout the album. Some moments are cheeky and others may be too much or redundant for some listeners. My only other note for weaknesses would be that I was left waiting for something to really strike my ear as a standout track, bar, or ad-lib. It may sound gimmicky, but I wish there was a killer hook or sound sample to build hype, and while the entire album is a win, it lacks one specific shining moment.
I give the project an A- overall and look forward to hearing everything TrappDee releases in the future. I know he will cook up something I can’t do without. TrappDee tells me that fans and followers can look for two brand new music videos to ‘Mode’ and ‘Chanaynay’ from this album. ‘Trapp Skylark Reloaded,’ the follow up to “Trapp Skylark’ is slated for album release in April 2023.