Trippie Redd’s latest album titled “!” didn’t quite pack the same amount of excitement as the title. However, Trippie Redd said that the title “!” was actually meant to stand for “Immortal” (which is a song on the album), where this is considered a tribute to the late XXXTentacion. The album was released on Spotify and Apple Music on Aug. 9, featuring artists such as The Game, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, Lil Duke and Coi Leray.

Even though “!” is tied with Trippie’s most highly charted album “A Love Letter to You 3,” and being a diehard Trippie Redd fan myself, this album wasn’t nearly as good as his previous release.

Usually, I would hope that the first song on an album would make me want to continue listening. Here, that is not the case. The first song, “!”, starts with a robotic voice saying the words “exclamation mark,” which is a huge turn-off, as well as his normal style is altered in the rest of the song. This  does not mean that the change was necessarily bad, but it is not the Trippie that I am used to hearing.

After listening to the full extent of the album, there doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern. In some songs, such as “Snake Skin,” he addresses serious social issues. Then in the very next song, “Be Yourself,” he raps with words that completely contradict his previous message. He raps, “Y’all all need to change, man y’all need some help, And if you can’t, on God… kill yourself.” This contradictory lapse is actually one pattern that can be found in almost all of Trippie’s music.

However, being the diehard fan that I am, this is probably one thing that personally draws me toward him as an artist.

Do I think that “!” lives up to the amount of hype leading up to its release? Not exactly, but it does not disappoint either. There are still at least three bangers (“Immortal,” “MAC 10” and “Everything BoZ”) on the album. Once I got past the number of compellingly unpredictable decisions made by Trippie, I could still hear the original artist who I know and love. Overall, I would give this album a  7.5 out of 10 because it is still enjoyable enough to listen while chilling with a group of friends or on a late night drive just to get lost.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the GENESIS staff. Reach Caleb Webb at [email protected].