Trippie Redd gets his rockstar on in “Pegasus: Neon Shark vs. Pegasus.”

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TOP 5

5. SWIMMING

I would love to hear “Swimming” in a nightclub that has one dollar rail drinks all night.

Travis Barker’s presence is definitely felt in “Swimming.” The instrumental that powers the song boasts hard-hitting drums, exhilarating guitar riffs, and crazy bass. The way Trippie lets loose over the instrumental is something that certainly shouldn’t be ignored (The little that he says in the song is so freaking impactful).

4. RED SKY

I know this sounds f**ked up, but I love it when both Trippie Redd and Machine Gun Kelly sound hurt on the mic. With that being said, in “Red Sky,” you get super emotional versions of the two rappers.

I’m not going to lie, the instrumental is the best thing about “Red Sky;” it’s explosive, intoxicating, and stirring. The second best thing about the song is the dynamic melodies that both Machine Gun Kelly and Trippie Redd hit us with. The one thing that I hate about the song is that it features lyrics that I just can’t comprehend (Seriously, what the f**k are they talking about in the song?)

3. PILL BREAKER

There aren’t three artists that are better than Trippie Redd, blackbear, and Machine Gun Kelly at blending indie-punk with hip-hop in their music. Since this is the case, it makes all of the sense in the world that they decided to unite for “Pill Breaker.”

Believe it or not, “Pill Breaker” is a very positive song (Yes, a song called “Pill Breaker” is positive). Throughout it, Trippie, blackbear, and Machine Gun Kelly all sing passionately about being motivational individuals that are ready to do whatever it takes to make their depressed partners smile. Negative Nancys, don’t worry, each musician has their moments in the song in which they resort back to their drug-taking ways.

The chemistry between everyone on this song is fantastic.

2. LEADERS

“LEADERS” is more soft rock than hard rock.

“LEADERS” features an instrumental that thumps but also has a soothing side. The song also features very vulnerable lyrics (Trippie opens up about some of the struggles that he goes through on a daily basis) and a vocal performance that might strike a chord with you. If you thought that Trippe didn’t have a soul, “LEADERS” will change your mind.

1. DREAMER

“DREAMER” is the type of rock song that will inspire youths to pick up a guitar.

“DREAMER” is too catchy, too romantic, and too delightful to hate on. While I am a fan of Trippie when he goes full-out Pepper Ann, I think he’s at his best when he drops pleasant rock songs like this one.

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. PILL BREAKER (3/5)

2. WITHOUT YOU (3/5)

3. SWIMMING (3/5)

4. FEMALE SHARK (3/5)

5. GERONIMO (3/5)

6. SEA WORLD (3/5)

7. RED SKY (3/5)

8. MEGALADON (3/5)

9. SAVE YOURSELF (3/5)

10. DREAMER (4/5)

11. IT’S COMING (3/5)

12. LEADERS (4/5)

13. FROZEN OCEAN (3/5)

14. DEAD DESERT (3/5)

OVERALL RATING

(C)

Trippie Redd is a musician that doesn’t get called talented enough. When he wants to, he’s more than capable of making traditional rap records, trap records, pop records, R&B records, and apparently rock records.

If you were to poll millions of people, they would probably say that they prefer to hear rap songs by Trippie Redd. While I agree, Trippie is better at making rap music than he is at making rock music, don’t sleep on his ability to sound like a legitimate rock star. Throughout Pegasus: Neon Shark vs. Pegasus, I heard authentic rock-n-roll melodies, vocal performances, cadences, and lyrics. You can tell that Trippie grew up idolizing rock stars because the persona that he gave off on the album felt so genuine.

Kudos must go to the 45-year-old Travis Barker. Not for the tantalizing instrumentals that he hooked Trippie Redd up with, but for dating a Kardashian (Everyone’s goal is to date a Kardashian, right?). In all seriousness, I thought Travis Barker’s contributions to Pegasus: Neon Shark vs. Pegasus were phenomenal.

I’ll be the first to tell you that this Pegasus: Neon Shark vs. Pegasus project is not my cup of tea. However, I do think that it is a lot more daring, well-structured, and explosive than other rap-rock albums that I’ve heard in the past (I’m looking at you Lil Wayne and G-Eazy).

Quincy

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.