blackbear machine gun kelly trippie redd
[Photos via blackbear/Spotify, Trippie Redd/Aiden Cullen, Machine Gun Kelly/Alexandre Faraci]

MGK and blackbear join Trippie Redd for new rock collab "PILL BREAKER"

After months of anticipation, Trippie Redd‘s new rock album NEON SHARK vs. Pegasus is finally here. For the new LP, he teamed up with Travis Barker who produced the entire thing.

As well, NEON SHARK vs. Pegasus features some explosive new collaborations with Machine Gun Kelly, blackbear, DeftonesChino Moreno, Scarlxrd and ZillaKami.

Read more: Fans just discovered MCR technically exist in the Marvel Universe

Over the years, Trippie Redd has become known for infusing rock, alternative and pop elements into his rap music. As it turns out, he has been inspired by rock music for a very long time. According to a 2017 Rolling Stone article, Trippie Redd credits rock groups including Nirvana and KISS as his inspirations.

For Trippie Redd, music, regardless of genre, has helped with his mental health struggles over the years.

“I was depressed,” he says in the Rolling Stone article. “I didn’t have nobody [and] was on my own type shit. Music took me from a real dark place to a real bright one.”

Last year, we saw Trippie Redd return to his rock roots with “Dreamer,” which was soon followed up by his 2020 album Pegasus. The LP includes numerous collabs with Lil Wayne, Young Thug and Future among others.

Read more: Papa Roach revisit “Broken As Me” for new Danny Worsnop collab—listen

Now, Trippie Redd is taking his rock roots to the next level. On Friday, he officially released NEON SHARK vs. Pegasus Presented By Travis Barker. The staggering 40-track LP includes 14 new rock tracks as well as his previously released Pegasus songs. The entire album, which was produced by blink-182‘s Travis Barker, features collaborations with Machine Gun Kelly, blackbear, Chino Moreno, Scarlxrd and ZillaKami.

For the new release, Machine Gun Kelly appears on two new songs including “PILL BREAKER” which also features blackbear. The laidback track merges together elements of rap, pop and pop-punk, creating the perfect medley of influences and sounds that help introduce the album to listeners. As well, MGK also appears on the guitar-heavy song “RED SKY.” Of course, these aren’t the first collaborations from MGK and Trippie Redd. More recently, the duo teamed up for “all i know,” off of Tickets To My Downfall.

Read more: Along Came A Spider share inspiring track after guitarist’s cancer diagnosis

As well, Trippie Redd even performed the song with MGK during the musical film Downfalls High. Back in 2019, Trippie Redd and Machine Gun Kelly also came together for “Candy,” which appears on Hotel Diablo.

Read more: Juliet Simms is gone, and Lilith Czar is taking the throne with “King”–watch

Elsewhere on NEON SHARK vs. Pegasus, Trippie Redd joins forces with Chino Moreno, Scarlxrd and ZillaKami. The Deftones frontman appears on “GERONIMO,” a grunge-inspired new track full of gritty electric guitars and powerful drums.

To close out the new rock album, Scarlxrd and ZillaKami join Trippie Redd on the explosive genre-bending track “DEAD DESERT.”

What are your reactions to Trippie Redd’s new rock album? What is your favorite song off of the new album? Let us know in the comments below.