Neon Shark vs Pegasus, also stylized as NEON SHARK vs Pegasus (Deluxe: Presented by Travis Barker), is a reissued album by American rapper and singer Trippie Redd in collaboration with fellow American musician Travis Barker. It was released on February 19, 2021, as the deluxe edition of Redd's third studio album, Pegasus. The album features guest appearances from Machine Gun Kelly, Blackbear, Chino Moreno, Scarlxrd, and ZillaKami. The original version of the album â which is included â was released on October 30, 2020, and retains features from Myiah Lynnae, Yung LB, PartyNextDoor, Chris Brown, Rich the Kid, Young Thug, Future, Lil Mosey, Quavo, Busta Rhymes, Sean Kingston, Doe Boy, Lil Wayne, HoodyBaby, and Swae Lee.
Neon Shark vs Pegasus sees Trippie Redd explore rock music. One critic wrote that "[p]roduced by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, it establishes a totally new distorted rock sound, louder and crunchier than ReddâÂÂs previous genre collages." The album was supported by one single: "Dreamer", released on June 18, 2020. The record project received critical acclaim, with praise directed especially to its successful experimentation. Many critics stated that the album was a rewarding foray into rap rock, where others such as Lil Wayne (Rebirth) had failed.
Trippie Redd released the album's lead and only single, "Dreamer", on his 21st birthday, June 18, 2020. Including this song, the album features fourteen new songs. However, before the deluxe version was released, it leaked in its entirety on Tidal on January 29, 2021. It was then taken down swiftly. The album was officially announced by Redd on February 18, 2021, and was released the following day. It serves as the artist's first rock project, while also marking his first project that does not contain hip hop and rap in it. Travis Barker said: âÂÂI donâÂÂt think thereâÂÂs a whole lot of rappers that can make an actual rock album⦠I think they can make rock-inspired songs, but Trippie is so good with melody and can sing so well. It was really easy for him to do this.âÂÂ
Trippie Redd had stated that the deluxe edition of Pegasus would be a full rock album and would be titled Neon Shark. Travis Barker said: âÂÂItâÂÂs a real rock album. ItâÂÂs not just guitar over trap beats, we went all the way inâÂÂ.
When asked about the meaning behind the title, Trippie stated: âÂÂI feel like as a person IâÂÂm outgoing so, colorful. And then people look at me like IâÂÂm a shark, maybe scared, so they keep their distance.â Barker added: âÂÂFrom the first day, ⦠He was sending me little gifs of sharks and stuff.âÂÂ
Neon Shark vs Pegasus received critical acclaim. Emma Jackimowicz of The Daily Reveille praised Trippie ReddâÂÂs experimentation, calling the project âÂÂa refreshing, emo-punk albumâÂÂ. She highlighted âÂÂWithout YouâÂÂ, âÂÂGeronimoâ and âÂÂFrozen Oceanâ as some of the best songs on the album. Lucas Fagen of Hyperallergic praised the project as a âÂÂpop-punk gemâÂÂ. Maisy Sullivan of The Tower was also complementary towards the album, writing: âÂÂNeon Shark is very experimental. Trippie Redd uses rock as the sort of umbrella genre, yet tries out different branches of the artistic category. He features screamo, pop-punk, trap, and traditional alternative styles to combine into the entirety of the work.â She concluded: âÂÂHis discography is messy, his aesthetic is chaotic, and his music tests all styles. Trippie Redd is controversial; however, he does not look to impress. He looks to be himself unapologetically. Neon Shark is a pure reflection of his happy-go-lucky personality. It fits into his emo-style rap genre, and it is easy to discern that he put work into its production.â The song âÂÂGeronimoâ was included on LoudwireâÂÂs list of the Best Rock Songs of 2021 (So Far) in October 2021.
Credits adapted from Tidal for both editions.
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Sample credits
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