A Look at Trapstar

October 15, 2021 0 Comments

Trapstar is a relatively new independent Hip Hop record label, started by three former members of the popular underground hip hop crew The Strokes. Mikey Imani (The Strokes), Lee Majewski (The Coup, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day) and Will Smith ( Trapstar) formed the group while touring with The Wanted, a popular London based band that made use of a wide variety of sample tracks for their singles. Their first release, Trapstar was issued by Def Jam Recordings. A few months later it became more widely known when the band's lead singer, Will Smith, decided to leave the group and sign with Cash Money, the major label owned by millionaire DJ Paul Price.

Trapstar took its name from Trap pop-up music, a small sub-genre of hip hop that originally originated in the late seventies in the south-western United States. The name is an amalgamation of Trap music and pop-up, which allows the music to open up abruptly close again. The band's original member, Mikey Imani, used this style of pop-up to great effect on his song "Trapstar" from the album Man On The Moon: The End Of Day.

Trapstar features four singles; Trapstar I, Trapstar II, Trapstar III and Trapstar IV. Each of these four singles have their own distinctive sound which has been characterised by a strong drum presence and by an incessant squall of guitar work. All of the singles from the Trapstar album have gone through extensive studio rehearsal. One of the most notable features of the sessions is that trap star trap singer Will Smith visits the London studio of famed producer Paul Price. The resulting tapes, which feature Smith performing alone as well as featuring numerous other artists, were used as the basis for the trap pop album Don't Play This Song.

Trapstar proved so popular with the public in London that a store was opened in the city exclusively to sell the singles and to promote them. This led to the brand name spreading into the rest of the United Kingdom, with exclusive venues being booked all over the UK and even into Europe. One of the world famous promoters of trap star Will Smith was so impressed with the company's rise to fame that he commissioned the opening of his own trap-pop recording studio in London. Trap royalty Will Smith also features on the single "Don't Play This Song", from the Don't Play This album.

Trapstar became even more famous when fellow trap artist Deadmau5 and his crew entered the limelight with their chart topping single Viva La Vida. The collaboration was unprecedented at the time and it sparked a number of other famous artists to feature on trap music such as Britney Spears, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Mariah Carey and Ashanti. Viva La Vida was at the time, one of the biggest pop/trap crossover hits of all time. Trapstar now has the distinction of selling more albums in the UK and Europe than any other UK brand. However, trap is now experiencing a new youth based version of its own which is more popularly known as " Trapstyle ".

Trapstyle is fast taking over the fashion industry in North America and abroad. It is essentially a high-fashion style of wearing a t-shirt that features graphics or an image and combined with urban wear elements such as oversized rims and block lettering. The style has been pioneered by streetwear brand Bapu and since its inception in 2021 it has become one of the fastest growing fashion brands in the UK and beyond. Currently Trapstar have four stores located in west London, the capital of North London, which have increased the brand's presence further still. Trapstar are set to introduce five more stores by the end of 2021.