A prominent artist coming out of SoundCloud, Trippie Redd, showed strong stage presence at URI last week. PHOTO CREDIT: James Singer | Photo Editor Emeritus
The University of Rhode Island welcomed rapper and singer Trippie Redd, as well as his opener Hennessey, to the Ryan Center for the first concert of the 2022-23 academic year.
The crowd was larger in comparison to the Dominic Fike show which took place last semester, and from the very beginning, it bubbled with anticipation.
Redd is one of the most prominent individuals to come out of the SoundCloud rap scene, a platform which gained greatest popularity in the late 2010s. His debut mixtape, “A Love Letter to You” and its lead single “Love Scars” propelled him into the spotlight. One of his newest albums, “Trip At Night (Complete Version)” just came out in late 2021, while his debut studio album “Life’s a Trip (2018)” reached the top five of the Billboard 200.
In 2021, Redd released the deluxe edition of his album “Pegasus,” later announcing his fourth studio album “Trip at Knight.” In the lead-up to the album’s release, Redd dropped two high-profile collaborations, the first being, “Miss the Rage” featuring Playboi Carti. The track debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting single of White’s career. The second lead single was “Holy Smokes” featuring Lil Uzi Vert.
Jacob Connors, a second-year student studying ocean engineering, is a big fan of Redd. He said the venue and feelings leading up to the show were exhilarating.
“I’m pretty much always excited for any concert, especially one that’s on campus, and I’m hyped and I enjoy Trippie’s music,” Connors said.
Connors also expressed that he hopes for the Ryan Center to host more concerts and entertainment events in the future, as it’s “been a while” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opener to the show was an up-and-coming local singer named Hennessy, who is also opening for Kid Laroi later this year, and has in the past been an opener for prominent artists including Jack Harlow.
The artist did a fantastic job and had a strong stage presence, despite slight interruptions as security had to discourage some fighting and crowd surfing from the general admission section.
Although she only sang a couple of songs and is a relatively new artist, she had positive affirmations for the crowd and her home state, thanking all of the people who came to support her.
After Hennessy, acts from Redd’s team and many DJs, the crowd was increasingly excited to see the artist perform and come on stage. The Ryan Center was full of excited, dancing and occasionally moshing students and fans.
Finally after much waiting, Redd came onto the stage, joint in hand. The energy in the crowd was palpable. At one point, Redd was even donning a Rhode Island team basketball jersey and hyping up the crowd.
“I’m so happy to be here with you all tonight,” Redd said.
Redd basked in the adoration of the crowd with a very strong stage presence and directing the crowd and energy in the room through his music and dance. Overall, his performance was a memorable concert, and created an almost party-like atmosphere with the crowd.