Kurtis Tripp’s Tripp Back Home. “Back In The Glove” Directed by Bob Roxxx
Michigan’s local hip-hop artist Kurtis Tripp’s visit back home and album release party
Kurtis Tripp, or Kurtis Lemaster, hails from Pontiac, Michigan, local right here to our very own RoxxxTV. Tripp makes a rock and rap hybrid he fondly refers to as “nu-grunge”. At the core of the music, it’s confessional lyrically while the instrumentals remain true to his rock and metal roots. you’ll find he isn’t afraid to shy away from piano or strings, either. Indeed, his specific genre is hard to pin down as he is certainly carving a new niche. Just as his song “Smoke Alotta Ganja” says, “not really sure where this genre belongs/but believe it’ll be here long after I’m gone”.
While he was born here in Michigan, Kurtis is quite the nomad having lived in 5 states and blazed across all 50 during his lifetime. From the East Coast to the West and even the South, he has been a little bit of everywhere and seemingly seen a little bit of everything as well.
Kurtis started out in Michigan before moving to Tennessee at the age of 11.
Here, he lived with his family for about 5 years, attending school and learning the basics of music via public school music programs. After, their journey took them back to Michigan, where he attended high school and got more heavily into music, specifically metal. Taking the position of lead vocalist for the metal band Formal Defect, these influences are clearly still deeply rooted in his music even when he ultimately decided that hip-hop is where he belonged and he made the switch – leaving behind the guitars but carrying on with the mic in a whole new direction.
Kurtis first got into hip-hop heavily of course while growing up on all the classics like Tupac, Biggie, etc…however, one day he discovered a new kind of rap (to him, at the time) while listening to music videos on OnDemand: a rock band called Flobots with two emcees as their lead vocalists. What’s more, he quickly discovered it wasn’t your standard hip-hop, either: the lyrics were like that of which he had only heard occasionally from Tupac – lyrics about more than being a gangster, but indeed about love, life, and loss. An awakening occurred within himself and Kurtis knew this was what he was destined to do. To create music written from the heart and spirit about everything beautiful and ugly in this world and forge a new path with hip-hop.
While it might have started with Flobots, it didn’t end there. Using the Flobots as a starting point, Kurtis discovered multiple confessional emcees that had created a unique form of rap – ranging from Travie McCoy from Gym Class Heroes to Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine. With Rage being a huge influence, Kurtis quickly fell for nu-metal bands with emcees such as Lincoln Park or even Papa Roach and Limp Bizkit. Finally, he found his biggest influence after Flobots: Slug from Atmosphere. With all these new subgenres of hip-hop spinning in his mind, a knack for rhyming unconventional words, and a pen and notebook, this is what ultimately resulted in his unique but powerful sound.
With a presence that fills the sound booth and the stage, Kurtis quickly made name for himself from coast to coast upon the release of his first album, featuring Michigan veteran Menacide, and other big names in the underground such as McNastee and Vice Gripp. It was his mission to bring these artists out of their normal genres and bring his own trippy flair to it: and the mission was quite accomplished.
Tripp returned to Michigan from his current home state of Arizona in May, during the summer of 2018 for a visit to drop his freshman album, “Fairytale Gentrification”.
With Kurtis Tripp headlining, other Michigan locals came out to show their support and play beside him, local legends such as Suicide Saints, Ant G, Medikal Recordz, and Camp Phire Connection. Filling Grady’s Lounge on Gratiot, the artists each took their turn rocking the stage and showing the Mitten major love that resonated throughout the night. So much so that Psychopathic artist Lyte even stopped by to be apart of that love.
Thus, Kurtis Tripp’s brand was formed in the most epic fashion possible. Since, he has had several songs selected for mixtapes, played more shows, and even reached over 100 followers and almost 10 thousand streams on Spotify within 3 short weeks of releasing the album. The momentum didn’t stop there, either.
After breaking 1000 streams within the first few days of release, Kurtis dropped a bombshell of an announcement: “Fairytale Gentrification” was only the beginning, and work on his latest project and sophomore album “Been Lit” is already underway, with features already secured from major artists such as Wil E Haze, Sounds of Xtra Overdoze, A-Game The Raptile, Menacide’s very own protege Nastie Ink, the return of Menacide himself, and Michigan locals Bake Lo and Lunchboxxx. Unsurprisingly, this list has grown since the initial announcement and is likely to grow more as Kurtis Tripp gains traction and attention from other artists.
We can learn more about Kurtis Tripp from these interview questions he took the time to answer:
Who are your biggest influences in hip-hop?
If we can just put the classics like Tupac and all the OG’s to the side in their own bracket, my biggest influences growing up with was Flobots and Rage Against The Machine. They’re who inspired me to do more than just listen and love hip-hop, but to actually participate.
What is your favorite memory of being a hip-hop artist?
I have so many more to make! So far, it would definitely have to be going on Detroit Unplugged and showcasing “Fairytale Gentrification”, and the whole Kurtis Tripp’s Tripp Back Home experience: from playing the shows to seeing all my old friends. It’s also an honor to have several of my songs selected from the album to be featured on Sticker StAsh’s Customz Raw and Rugged Mixtape on volume one along with other big names like Menacide, Sounds of Xtra Overdoze, Physchoetry, and AlTwoOne and Mook Mook. Finally, my favorite memory of Kurtis Tripp’s Tripp Back Home has certainly got to be filming the music video for “Back in the Glove”, the single off the album. We hit a bunch of Michigan local spots and got some amazing shots and I can’t wait to drop it for the fans.
Why did you leave Michigan and will you be coming back?
Family. My family will always be first, and where they go, I go. And I’m ecstatic to say I do intend to move back, very, very soon.
What are you listening to these days?
I still rock Flobots old and new stuff at least once a week, same with Rage. But I’m stuck on Menacide’s Murda One album now, along with Jenocia X’s Cynischism and her tour exclusive album with Razakel, Sisterhood of Wretched Decay. Next up I’ll be checking out Saint Sinna’s latest album. My biggest anticipated album this year is Ouija Macc’s debut album Gutterwater.
What’s next for Kurtis Tripp?
Other than “Been Lit”, I really just want to keep making music. I love it and traveling and playing shows, and meeting all the wonderful people I have. My music can be sad sometimes but ultimately it’s about the things we love in life (which you can’t always address without first talking about the things you hate, hence the sad songs) and if there’s one thing people know about Kurtis Tripp, it’s that Tripp goes where the love goes.
Kurtis Tripp’s debut album “Fairytale Gentrification” is available anywhere music is sold or streamed digitally, and physical copies can be purchased from KurtisTripp.Bandcamp.com
CHECK OUT THE “Back in the Glove” OFFICIAL VIDEO HERE:
