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Trip with kids

OKC rapper Trip G rallies local nonprofits, small businesses and artists for an Eastside Easter eggstravaganza.

Trip G is for the children.

From noon to 4 p.m. April 16, his popular monthly Oklahoma City hip-hop gathering Trip N Friends will lend its platform to the first-ever Trip N Kids festivity. The free event will host an Easter egg hunt at a noteworthy multi-purpose neighborhood park in OKC’s Eastside, Riley Leroy “Pitts” Park. Sights, sounds, and tastes for all ages will accompany the hunt at no cost to ensure a well-rounded and accessible experience for the whole family.

The community-focused event is made possible by a community of local nonprofits and small businesses. OKC Parks, Men’s Association Foundation of Oklahoma City, and The Lifelines Initiative are partnering for Trip N Kids Easter Egg Hunt. For The Lifelines Initiative, this is the first in a new series of “All Hands” projects aimed at rallying the local arts community to serve urban youths, their families, and the communities in which they live. Local small businesses contributing to the event include clothiers Newxwave Inc. and Seasoned as well as production houses Imageline Studios and AllSweet.

That Trip G can assemble so many groups toward a common cause is a testament to his tireless networking. While he stays busy in the music studio — he released four albums in 2020 alone — he avails time to share with others, and there is no better example than Trip N Friends.

“When I first started music here, I was 15, and it was like pulling teeth to get local shows,” Trip G said. “Now that I have this platform, I do my best to look out for upcoming artists and give them a place to start.”

Previously held at Queen Lounge and now a monthly staple at Hubbly Bubbly Hookah and Cafe, 2900 N Classen Blvd., Trip N Friends is a laid-back environment where creatives share their energies while putting on a show for an engaged audience. While music is always a centerpiece, he keeps the concept artistically broad and incorporates games and activities to help break the ice.

“I look at Trip N Friends like a community for the culture. Everyone is accepted and it’s also a way for me to bring the connections I have come across to network together,” Trip G said. “Whether you do music, art, model, or whatever it is, Trip N Friends would love to work with you!”

Trip G credits his networking know-how to professionalism, transparency, and integrity, but it is also his willingness to meet new people and visit new places that opens those doors for him to leave an impression. He has become a proponent of the cannabis scene, working with various dispensaries and even getting his own strain, the Trip OG, through Emerald Farms. He also brought a monthly competition called Rip the Mic from Houston into the OKC hip-hop scene thanks to a meeting in Dallas with the event’s founder. Every other month, Rip the Mic awards a whopping $1,000 in OKC.

To help fund the upcoming Trip N Kids Easter Egg Hunt, Trip G is turning this month’s Trip N Friends showcase into a fundraiser. The music lineup is a who’s who of Oklahoma City hip-hop featuring Nayborhood Barbie, Kid Lennon, Original Flow, K.O., Thomas Who?, Nia Moné, L-Smooth, and more. This edition of Trip N Friends takes place April 7 at Hubbly Bubbly with doors opening at 8 pm. Admission is $10.

Trip G’s ability to assemble such a lineup is a mark of the respect he has earned from his peers, but it is also a representation of hip-hop’s natural inclination to give back. Trip N Kids is the latest in a proud tradition of local community-building platforms started by OKC artists such as Jabee’s holiday Gift Raps series and Ray June’s Swat Meet organization.

click to enlarge Trip with kids
Photo provided
Trip G.

“I think for us hip-hop artists, we have past struggles we’ve dealt with, and giving back to our communities is very important to us,” said Trip G. “A lot of us express our struggles in our music, and one thing I know is common for us is we can relate to dealing with hard times coming up.”

This helps explain why his Trip N Kids Easter Egg Hunt is being held in OKC’s Eastside, a historically underserved part of the city. While Trip G resides west of Interstate 235, he graduated from Northeast Academy and still has family across the highway. He is well-acquainted with the needs of the area.

“I think we can show that there’s a lot of history and beauty on the Eastside, and events like this one bring our people together to celebrate that history,” Trip G said. “It means more than words can describe using my platform and talent to bring us all together in service of our youth and community.”

Trip G doesn’t just approach this as someone with memories of not always getting an Easter basket as a kid. He is a father too. While he is busy balancing all of the demands of the many hats he wears — that includes a new 10-track album called No Pressure which releases Monday, April 18th — he doesn’t lose sight of what ultimately matters most.

“At any given time I am juggling between writing, producing, curating shows, traveling, or endorsing. My most important task, though, is being a father,” Trip G said. “Sometimes it can get difficult maintaining all of these things, but at the end of the day, my relationship with my daughter keeps me going. This is who I am doing all of this for.”

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