"We are very excited about @brysontiller's #TRAPSOUL. Hope you are too. Listen here first" Apple Music tweeted in regards to Bryson Tiller's LP, T R A P S O U L. The music streaming service that has previously inked deals with Drake, Dr. Dre and Taylor Swift exclusively released the 22-year old's debut project one week early. That's quite an accolade for a new artist and in Tiller's case, well deserved.
Before the album released, "Don't", T R A P S O U L's single exceeded 25 million streams on SoundCloud according to The Rolling Stones. On the album, the blend between delivering Instagram caption worthy bars and singing contemporary R&B lyrics further solidifies the Louisville, Kentucky native's talents. However, trap soul can be considered more than just an album title. Tiller along with artists Fetty Wap and Tory Lanez are the voices validating a rising sound in contemporary R&B, Trap Soul.
Much like how D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell's commercial success in the 90's popularized Neo Soul --a non-traditional 1970's influenced R&B-- Bryson Tiller, Fetty Wap and Tory Lanez have their own sugar, spice and everything nice to commercialize this new sound in modern rhythm and blues. Explicit lyrical content, southern inspired trap beats and the ability to carry a note, these are the ingredients that form Trap Soul music, and so far, it has proven to be viable. Fetty Wap entered 2016 with two Grammy nominations and making history as the first artist with four debut singles in the top ten on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart at once. During the week of January 16th, 2016 both Fetty Wap and Bryson Tiller had top 10 albums in the Billboard 200. Tory Lanez has yet to release an album but, his song "Say It" peaked at number 26 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and the official video has gained over 30 million views on YouTube in 4 months.
Now the singing rapping mash-up isn't a new idea in Hip Hop. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" won 5 Grammys for Lauryn Hill's singing and rapping abilities. T-Pain added autotune to it and from 2007 to 2010 dominated the music industry, and Drake has three platinum-selling albums and the title of being sensitive from blending the two. However, this idea of Trap Soul created by Bryson Tiller, Fetty Wap and Tory Lanez continues to make an impact from "Now Playing Bryson Tiller" post on social media to the Billboard charts and, in today's world that makes Trap Soul as a sound something to watch --and listen-- out for as it beings to thrive or decline.