Trip Lee

William Lee Barefield III (born December 17, 1987), better known by his stage name Trip Lee, is an American Christian rapper, singer, songwriter, and poet. Signed to Reach Records, he has recorded both as a solo artist and as a founding member of 116 (originally known as the 116 Clique). Originally from Dallas, he served as the young adult pastor at Concord Church until 2021. His third album, Between Two Worlds, was nominated for two Dove Awards and won the Stellar Award for Best Hip Hop Album in 2011.

Biography

Early life William Lee Barefield III was born on December 17, 1987, in Dallas. As a young boy, he had dreams of being a professional athlete or a famous rapper and he began to hone his lyrical skills at the age of 12. "I rapped about random stuff... how hot I was, how many girls I could pull,". After giving his life to Christ, at age 14, his focus changed from fortune, fame, and women to serving and ministering the gospel.

Barefield slowly recognized that all of his life should be centered around being a Christian. "One day, I just decided, I'm only doing Christian hip hop." Rappers like Ambassador and Da' T.R.U.T.H. helped provide a model for how "I would begin to do that," he says. and Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky, the undergraduate school of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary also in Louisville.

Music career Trip Lee signed with Reach Records and his debut album, If They Only Knew, was released a few days after he graduated from high school in 2006. Trip Lee released his fourth full-length studio album, entitled The Good Life on April 9, 2012. The album featured notable Christian artists, including Sho Baraka (who formerly was signed with Reach Records), JR., Lecrae, J.Paul, KB, Andy "C-Lite" Mineo, Jimmy Needham, V. Rose, Suzy Rock, Jai, and Leah Smith. Trip Lee wrote a book titled The Good Life, to be released by Moody Publishers on October 1, 2012.

On October 9, 2012, Lee announced that he would be "stepping away" from music altogether. The Unashamed 2012 tour with the Reach Records roster was his final tour before pursuing a career as an author and pastor. He later clarified that he would continue to make music however he would not be touring as much. He is training to be a pastor at his local church, while being involved in ministry. He was part of the Winter Jam Tour 2016 along with KB and Tedashii in central and eastern U.S. states.

On December 9, 2016, Trip Lee released a mixtape titled, "The Waiting Room." The title was inspired by a line in the song, "Take Me There" from his album, "The Good Life". He says the album highlights the fact that, as a Christian, his life is much like sitting in a waiting room, looking for what God has ahead for him. On March 4, 2022, he released his sixth studio album "The End." his first project in six years (the first since 2016). The album featured three singles "Supernatural," "Stone," and "Right Out The Gate." The album also featured artists WHATUPRG; Anike, a Nigerian rapper; Taylor Hill, KB, and Desi Raines.

On October 27, 2023, Trip Lee's seventh studio album "The Epilogue" came out. It includes a collaboration with Kirk Franklin, Hulvey, Madison Ryann Ward, Lecrae, KB, WHATUPRG, and Jonathan Traylor.

Ministry In early 2011, he was a pastoral intern at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.. In 2014, he worked as the pastoral assistant at the church. In 2015, he became the pastor of Cornerstone Church West End in Atlanta.

Personal life Trip Lee and Jessica Barefield married in 2009 and they have three children.

Discography

Studio albums 2006: If They Only Knew 2008: 20/20 2010: Between Two Worlds 2012: The Good Life 2014: Rise 2016: The Waiting Room 2022: The End 2023: The Epilogue

Books The Good Life (Moody Publishers, 2012) Rise: Get Up and Live in God's Great Story (Thomas Nelson, 2015)

Award nominations GMA Dove Awards

Year Award Result 2011 Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Between Two Worlds) Short Form Music Video of the Year ("Invasion (Hero)") 2013 Rap / Hip Hop Song of the Year ("I'm Good" featuring Lecrae) Rap / Hip Hop Album of the Year (The Good Life) 2017 Rap / Hip Hop Album of the Year (The Waiting Room)

Stellar Awards Year Award Result2011 Best Hip Hop Album (Between Two Worlds)