A Love Letter to You 3 sees Trippie Redd blend cloud rap and emo rap to explore emotional vulnerability,heartbreak,and self-destruction. One critic wrote:"ALLTY3 finds the rising star contemplating newer and deeper emotions,reflecting on his positionality at the vanguard of the new school…and exploring new musical genres and styles".[3] The mixtape was supported by its lead and sole single,"Topanga",for which a music video was released on October 30,2018.[4] Despite minimal promotion,the record project was a commercial success,debuting at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart with 84,000 first-week album-equivalent units. It was also praised by critics. On October 8,2020,A Love Letter to You 3 was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5] On November 9,2022,the mixtape's certification was upgraded to Platinum.[5]
Trippie Redd stated on his social media that he recorded the album in two weeks "right after Life's a Trip", and called it "lowkey better".[1] Speaking about the mixtape to Zane Lowe on Beats 1, Trippie Redd said: "The way I set up my projects, I put the first track to the last track. If you listen to it from start to finish, that's how I put it together. It's art, it's not anything to play with."[6] On the content of A Love Letter to You 3, Trippie Redd told Lowe: "It has some stuff about relationships, but that's life. 'Toxic Waste' is about a toxic relationship. What you hear is mixed — everybody has to mix their vocals for how it's supposed to sound. When I record, I do use autotune, but I don't use it how people use it. I like samples a lot."[6]
Songs
Tracks 1-8
The opening track, "Topanga", serves as A Love Letter to You 3's lead and only single. Produced by Chopsquad DJ, it features a pitched-up sample of Maurette Brown Clark's 2006 gospel song, "It Ain't Over". Vince Rick of HotNewHipHop opined that the song's "upbeat, stagey production is reminiscent of the Diplo-produced track, "Wish"".[7] In the song, Redd discusses gun possession and usage, along with references to religion and the unincorporated community of Topanga in western Los Angeles County, California.[8] Analysing the song's lyrical themes, Rick continued: ""Topanga" is truer to Trippie Redd's earlier style. Violence is a fundamental component to the romantic theses of his Love Letter series, so it's only appropriate that he begin the album with some harsh words for the many imagined and real enemies that surround him."[7] A music video was released on October 30 2018. Trey Alston of Pitchfork described the visual thus: "Redd is dressed as an irreverent pastor, singing about his ability to save his damsel and tote guns. He's not the kind of vicar to pass around the collection plate; there are pentagrams and animal skulls dispersed throughout. He levitates menacingly, his hair's an angry shade of crimson, there's a green serpent here as well. Neat!"[9] In the video, Redd can be seen floating inside of a circle of women, referencing the Manson Family cult which inhabited Topanga.[8] The second song, "Fire Starter", was produced by Honorable C.N.O.T.E. and Tony Trouble. The outro is performed by featured artist Emani22.[10] The next track, "Toxic Waste", explores toxic relationships in which Redd yearns for love, which he likens to a drug.[11] Redd himself stated: ""Toxic Waste" is about a toxic relationship – and that's all I can really say about that. A lot of people be looking [sic] for trouble. I think even sometimes I be looking [sic] for trouble on purpose."[11] The track is produced by Diplo and King Henry, the former of whom also produced "Wish" (Life's a Trip; 2018).[11] Zach Colten of The Gatepost called the track "touchingly introspective".[3]
"Negative Energy" (featuring Kodie Shane)
Tracks 9-16
Reflecting on Redd's lyricism on the song, Vince Rick of HotNewHipHop observed: "[o]ver a Nellz beat woozy with negative space, Trippie Redd describes a love so redeeming it would save him from suicidal urges, and so moving that he would die for her. He trades mortality for mortality."[7]
Zach Colten of The Gatepost stated that the song was "a departure from the rapper's typical trap-punk mashup style."[3]
Packaging and promotion
In September 2018, Trippie Redd stated that the mixtape was "already done" but that he needed 2–3 more songs to complete it, and released an audio clip of "Topanga".[12] On October 30, he released the cover art and track listing. This tracklist included the songs "Blastoff" and "Talk That Shit",[13] neither of which made the final cut. "Blastoff" was later released as part of Internet Money's studio album B4 the Storm.
A Love Letter to You 3 received generally positive reviews, inclined towards critical acclaim. Reviewers commended the creative direction of the mixtape and lauded the vocal performances displayed by Trippie Redd and his collaborators. However, some criticised the length and uniformity of the project.[3][15][18]
Charles Holmes of Rolling Stone noted that in releasing A Love Letter to You 3, Trippie Redd had joined the ranks of rappers including Kanye West, Lil Yachty and Migos in deploying more than one project in a year.[15] Holmes commented that "[s]urprisingly, Redd seems rejuvenated, not depleted, by the increased pace."[15] He added that "Redd is now making some of the best music of his career, even if it isn't necessarily the type that first broke him through the scene."[15] Holmes praised the experimental nature of the sound, concluding that "A Love Letter To You 3 isn't perfect. At sixteen songs it's unnecessarily long, meandering in spots, but it succeeds on the back of Trippie's quest to make his next move weirder than his last."[15] Zach Gidius of Osprey Online was highly complementary towards the project, highlighting the songs "Topanga", "Can't Love", "Love Scars 3", "1400 / 999 Freestyle" and particularly "Diamond Minds".[16]
Mitch Findlay of HotNewHipHop concurred with Holmes that Trippie Redd had not been disadvantaged by his fast release schedule, writing: "As they say, the third time is often the charm. Trippie Redd's A Love Letter To You series has kept his name buzzing, and now, the third chapter of his series is upon us. Though Trippie is in the midst of a prolific year, there are some still awaiting his definitive moment, in which the full extent of his artistic potential is realized. It feels like A Love Letter To You 3 may very well be the moment fans have been anticipating."[17] Findlay praised Redd's maturity in his songwriting, also observing that "[p]ristine production bubbles below Redd's often whimsical melodies, and surprising guest turns from Juice WRLD, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Tory Lanez make for admirable supporting characters, playing against type."[17] He concluded that "[b]y the time "Camp Fire Tale" rolls around, it's all too easy to picture a smiling Trippie, guitar in hand, empty forty bottles strewn beside him, belting sweet nothings to all the woodland critters."[17] Likewise, Vince Rick, also of HotNewHipHop, was positive towards Redd's "sweet, sugary" melodies. However, Rick was more critical towards the form of love expressed in the lyricism.[7]
Zach Colten of The Gatepost compared the mixtape favorably to Life's a Trip and the previous mixtapes in the A Love Letter to You series, writing that "this installment ramps up the artist's energy and vision."[3] Colten also praised Trippie Redd's "attention to detail and craftsmanship".[3]Music criticAnthony Fantano responded positively to the mixtape, awarding it 7/10.[19][18] Fantano was complementary towards the direction and emotion of the mixtape.[18] Although he criticized it for lacking variety between its tracks, he also noted that Redd's excellent vocal performances and clever use of guest features were more than enough to break the monotony.[18] Trey Alston of Pitchfork reflected that the mixtape showcased Trippie Redd's growth as an artist, writing: "Gone are the simplistic choruses and general sleaze weighed down his songwriting; in its place is a multi-part refrain that indicates a degree of familiarity with his faults."[9] Alston also discussed the consistency of the project, opining that "while consistency can be read as a strong point, it also makes these songs naggingly predictable. This is the third installment of his flagship series and, now, the tortured-soul act is wearing thin."[9]
Commercial performance
On the chart dated November 24, 2018, A Love Letter to You 3 debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units (including 11,000 pure album sales).[20] Thus the mixtape placed behind Kane Brown's Experiment (1) and Imagine Dragons' Origins (2), and in front of Lil Peep's Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2 (4).[21] It is Trippie Redd's second US top-10 album, and marks the second time in three months that Redd has entered the top 5 of the Billboard 200.[22]A Love Letter to You 3 is also Redd's highest-charting release to date.[22] Additionally, the mixtape was the week's most-streamed album overall, with its tracks achieving 108.8 million on-demand streams.[23] Redd also achieved his first No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop AlbumsBillboard chart.[20] In its second week, the mixtape dropped to number nine on the Billboard 200, earning 41,000 units.[24]
Responding to his commercial success, Trippie Redd stated in and Instagram post: "I really don't think y'all understand how fuckn amazing you guys are… I mean honestly we just kinda showed our ass going this crazy no promo at all thank you my 1400/800 brothers & sisters💕 [sic]".[22] He also thanked his personal team for "always pushing me and keeping my head up to show the world I'm here to stay."[22]
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Notes
↑ Two writers from HotNewHipHop reviewed the mixtape separately; Mitch Findlay was more positive towards the project than Vince Rick. Both expressed at least broad appreciation for it.[17][7]
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