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So if you read any of my posts here or on my other sites you know I love the details. In business and in music the small things take you a long way.

And as far as Tripp Shelton is concerned, he hits on all 12 cylinders. From Beats to track ordering to concepts- it’s a bullseye.

Without further ado peep the interview.

How did you get into rapping?

I have always been into wordplay. I started doing poetry and creative writing contests in 3^rd or 4^thgrade. Eventually around age 16, I fell in line with what my peers were into, and it evolved into music.

 

Are you a rapper, entertainer, or lyricist? 

Pick only one. 

Lyricist. It’s the lyrics that matter most to me.

 

Top 5 dead or alive? Artists that is. 

That list is fluid. But at this very moment, for me it’s:

Eminem

Nas

Tech N9ne

Jay-Z

Twista

 

If you could only take 5 albums with you forever, what would they be?

Nas – Stillmatic

Fiend – There’s One in Every Family

Amy Winehouse – Frank

Eminem – The Eminem Show

Prince – Around the World in a Day

Left or right handed?

CORRECT handed. I tease my two lefty daughters about being WRONG handed.

Favorite track you’ve done? 

Wow. Favorite track EVER…. I’d have to say “God Above God’s”. I had parts of that song in my head for over 10 years and held them until I found the right beat. Making it come to life was amazing.

 

Favorite album you’ve done?

I think SlaveHouse was my best work. It had an almost singular focus, but I drove my point home well, and made some of my best music. I named and album “SlaveHouse”, posed with a microphone noose around my neck, and had track titles like “Queen” and “Save the Soul.” My black listeners expected a “blame whitey” album. And it was really a call for blacks to take accountability for themselves. I loved putting that message out.

 

Thoughts on the continued LOA shootings of minorities? 

I think it’s a problem, but I think it’s a problem that is being intentionally over-publicized so that it FEELS bigger than it is and causes division. If you look at a lot of things that we are up in arms about, the frequency of occurrences hasn’t really changed over the years. The media seems to be a “cause-of-the-month” club. They largely control what we decide to be upset about. Show something enough times and it feels bigger than it is.

 

Where did you come up with young tripp, and of course why the switch to tripp shelton?

“Tripp” comes from having a short and violent temper as a teenager. I went way overboard on small things, always “trippin.” The prefix “Young” was a representation of my generation. I wanted to represent the youth. But as I crossed 30 years of age, my viewpoints and ideals changed. Too many rappers took on the “Young” prefix, and it just sounds silly to be “Young” anything at age 33.

Thoughts on 360 deals for artists?

With the way that fans consume music now, I think it makes sense. It used to be a lot more simple, with record sales being the most important factor. The world has gone digital, social media is more important. There are a lot more areas to cover. It makes sense to have support in all facets. But I want to see every artist scrap to the death to own their lyrics.

Do you read Bob Lefsetz? 

Haha, I just watched that dude go toe-to-toe with Gene Simmons. I’ve never read him, but I may now. I confess to not being a big reader. I only read textbooks honestly. All I want is facts. I don’t want opinions, and I have no time for fiction. People read books and think they are smarter than everyone else. Well, before they put lies and propaganda on television and the internet, where do you think they put them? IN BOOKS.

Was Pac as deep, influential, and was his music as ill as people claim?

Tupac was an extremely intelligent dude, and his importance to his era can not be qualified. I’d have been all for Tupac being President of the United States, seriously. But he was only slightly above average on the mic, and you can’t tell me any different. Great human, average emcee. But as always, we romanticize the dead.

 

Would you ever sign with a major?

Dude, I’ve been on this train since 2001. I’d sign with anybody who could pay me what my 9-5 pays. I’d totally sign up to get screwed right now as long as it’s a short term deal. You can rape me for 2 years, as long as I leave having grown my brand and upped my earning power.

 

How do you like bandcamp.com?

Bandcamp is a great tool to me. It’s user friendly. It’s the only place I post my albums…. Until something better comes along and phases it out.

 

How do you come up with your lyrics? 

There’s no single process for me. Sometimes I have a song in my head, and hunt for an instrumental. Sometimes I get an instrumental, and just sit down and let my creativity guide me. No matter what though, my process involves PEN and PAPER. This writing lyrics on a cell phone thing is sacrilege in my book. The writing process is sacred. PEN and PAPER.

Who would you most like to do a track with?

Well, my dream of working with Amy Winehouse is now impossible, though I did release a posthumous ode to her called “Unholy War.” Other than that, my inner teenager would be pretty excited about a track featuring Mystikal and Fiend. No Limit was the soundtrack to my adolescence. I’m still star-struck over those guys.

 

What producer would you most like to work with?

Let me first say that I don’t need anybody other than my guy Big Vern the Arkitekt. He has been holding me down for 14 years now. But I’m a Dr. Dre guy. No one else is even close in this discussion.

 

Who influenced you as a man?

My grandfather was my world. He passed in 2003. He was the perfect amalgamation of toughness, accountability, humility, faith, generosity, forgiveness. Just all of the things that make a man great. I’d be in a much better place if he were still here. He had all the answers.

 

Who influenced you as an artist? 

Freddie Mercury, Prince, Billy Corrigan, and Billy Joe Armstrong inspire me to be GREAT. But from a technical standpoint, my biggest influences are Nas, Eminem and Mystikal. Nas is my consciousness, Em is my wordplay, and Mystikal is the “fire” in my delivery.

Do you really have 6 daughters?

Five daughters, one son actually. It’s only the beginning. Currently my 5 girls are 12, 10, 7,6, and 2. Some day all of their cycles will synchronize, and my house will be a war zone. They are my everything though. All 6 of my kids. The biggest reason I’m still a local artist, is my unwillingness to put my kids second. They get first dibs on my time. I only work on music when they are sleeping. I do not tour. They will always come first.

 

What motivates your Facebook “rants”?

Mostly, I’m naturally obtuse. When I see the current going one way, I quickly become partial to the other angle. And usually the current is driven by stupidity. America loves to let others think for them. People are afraid to have their own ideas, and also to look at data/facts. The court of public opinion has too much pull. Most of my rants are intended to make people think for themselves.

You can click the images or the below link for some real hip hop:

https://trippshelton.bandcamp.com