Acidtrip | “Unorthodox”, The Rap Album You Need
Congo-born but Charlotte-raised rap artist Acidtrip debuted his brand-new album, “Unorthodox” today at 12AM. As the title of his project suggests, his approach is not a traditional one- with the intro track “Native Tongue Navigation” sounding like Cortana out of Halo 2 reeling you into a trance of sonic sounds and mesmerizing captivity. “Unorthodox” is 15 solid tracks of raw verses, impressive wordplay and emotionally packed vibrations. It’s the perfect album for any rap fan to dive into and dissect. There’s a lot of unpacking to do within Acidtrip’s “Unorthodox”.
“Ancient power, thunderbolt. Zaptos” – Acidtrip
On the very first record after the intro, “Pythagoras (Patrice Lumumba)“, Acidtrip enters in head-snatching with fired up bars and tidbits of clever wordplay, even making some Pokemon references for the 90s kids to enjoy. His vocals are velvety, and exhibit a dark tone that’s powerfully effective in his mid-lows. While he shows us listeners that he can match an impressive cadence that challenges most rappers, on the next record “Past Life (Seraphim)“ he unleashes the riveting melodies. Acidtrip clearly has more in the arsenal that he’s saving to show for the later tracks, but he’s allowing the audience to dabble in it early to get a feel and it only adds to the excitement.
As for the inspiration of the album, Acidtrip gained the influence from his travels to Africa and set out to capture the emotions and realizations into one fruitful, jamming, exceptional album. In his own words,
My Trip To Africa Inspired This Project, I Came To USA When I Was 3 And Went For The First Time Last Month All November. I Went For Spiritual & Philanthropist Purposes. My Country Is An Unstable Underdeveloped Country Plagued By Poverty & War So The Experience Changed My Life. Also For Years Ive Been Studying Multiple Religions, Mystic Esoteric & Eastern Schools Of Thought & I Began Seeing Parallels In Them All. So I Wanted to Capture A RetroSuperFuturistic Sound Powered By All The Ancient Literatures That Changed My Life, Also Psychedelic Experiences & Near Death Experiences That Made Me Grateful To Be Alive Influenced It As Well.
The thought and intention is purely apparent, and Acidtrip’s execution from track 1 through 15 makes it even holy. As his stage name suggests, Acidtrip picked it not to glamorize the psychedelic drug, but to induce those same feelings on his listeners. He want’s fans to experience the out-of-body sensation that comes with the territory of his music, and he succeeds in that regard.
If you couldn’t already tell from his tone and demeanor, he exudes a confidence that suggests he’s been attacking the mic for years, and he has. Acidtrip has been making music for the past 14 years and is gaining the momentum for a big run with this latest project. It’s professional, beautifully produced and exceptionally performed. It’s a work of art and blends in religious tones, thoughtful illusions, and selfless sacrifice.
Some notable favorite in additions to the ones above were “Padlocks“, “Tahuti“, and “Lightspeed“. These are mentioned specifically because of Acidtrip’s dedication to making no two tracks sound the same, but each one immensely profound. It’s not only on the mic where he excels, but he’s even more impressive as a human being. While he was visiting the Congo recently, he fed an entire orphanage and made it known he’s going back to contribute more.
These types of artists are a shortage in Hip-Hop, and when we come across them we want to shine the light on them. Acidtrip and his project “Unorthodox” deserve that shine. As for his next moves, he recently toured in Europe and his gearing up for his second European tour in 2022. With “Unorthodox” propelling the momentum and Acidtrip the captain of his ship, we’re excited to see how he capitalizes on this moment.
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Stream Acidtrip’s new album, “Unorthodox”, below:
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