Photo Credit: Rob Ran
Tr3y
The act of stringing together loose tracks for a mixtape is nothing new in the world of hip hop and R&B. Milwaukee crooner Tr3y, however, finds a way to make that format feel like an album on his brand new tape, In The Meantime. The project serves as a teaser for a new album that is on the way, but also allows him to be timely and live in the moment, as is the case for quarantine-themed track “Essential AF,” which features Tr3y singing that he’ll put a mask on and be on his way, and flipping the thought of essential workers to a clever pickup line. There’s also an R&B remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” one of this year’s summer soundtrack essentials.
“I was just having fun” Tr3y explains. “I haven’t really heard any male artists do it, and when I did it, it got just a great response. That moment was when I really decided I should do a whole other project with these other songs.”
In addition to living in the moment, In The Meantime allows Tr3y to properly curate his upcoming album, letting the outtakes live on with the mixtape format. Some of the tracks on the project have the feeling of standalone singles, which wouldn’t necessarily flow well in the context of a full project. Features from rappers Dres, Tay2Cold, L.R. and more add some extra flavor to the mix, playing off of the sultry vocals from the singer. The elimination of a concrete format gives Tr3y room to experiment.
“During the whole pandemic, I’ve just been creating and creating” said Tr3y. “I have so much time on my hands, so I’ve just been writing and coming up with some crazy concepts, like ‘Essential AF.’ I’ve really been spending more time working on my craft.”
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The extra time has paid off well, as In The Meantime serves as a great precursor to the full-length project that Tr3y has waiting in the wings for when the time is right. When the outtakes sound like a finished album on their own, there’s something special in store for the future.
