Written by Riffin Kanjangu

Three Da Soul Trappa joins Da Fixx for a conversation on faith, family, spiritual growth and soul food. DJ Focus and Dice Gamble have a real talk conversation on religion verses relationship with God.

Who is Three Da Soul Trappa

Double preacher’s kid (PK), having both his mother and father serving as pastors, kept the rapper locked into the church as a youth. “I grew up and came up in it but it had never taken root in my heart.” 

The rapper describes that despite growing up in church his faith never truly changed him. We, as believers, tend to assume that all PKs have given their lives to Christ by default. Although Trappa didn’t quite place his faith early in his youth, he was still very sheltered from the world but college would soon change that. 

Meeting the devil

“The moment I left the house, it was on.  I immediately began tapping into drugs, the college party life.” Newly exposed to what the world offers, Trappa began making decisions that led him to a path of dealing and abusing drugs. 

How often in our walk do we feel like we’ve dodged a bullet just to run right back in the line of fire? Trappa was looking at ten years of federal time but God allowed me to escape that, he adds. “You would think, when God allowed me to escape that, I would have surrendered but I didn’t.”

Trappa came back to Houston and picked up right back where he left off.  “It just intensified, I go from little grounds to selling ounces, selling whole pints of lean, and a lot of pills.” At some point, Trappa began using his own supply which led him to a wake-up call. 

Sometimes God reveals things to us in our darkest moments, which was no different for Trappa. “I popped so many pills, I was up for like 6-7 days straight.  God opened my eyes and I began to see into the spiritual realm.  I began to see demons in them, I began to see spirits around the house, and it was at that moment I knew I went a little bit too far,” Trappa confessed. 

Faith and family

It takes humility, it takes understanding that greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world.  It’s hard to change overnight but you have to allow Him to do the work. “Every time I bump my head, I have to get up and allow the word of God to build me back up.”

It’s no secret that a life with Christ can get bumpy but reliance on his word is what gets us through. Balancing his own faith journey is hard enough but doing it in a marriage is its own challenge. 

“Making sure my foundation in Christ is rooted,” Trappa adds. “Whether it’s being a husband, a father, or an artist, I have to make sure those three things are built on Christ.” Getting the word in consistently helps keep him balanced in the faith. 

Music and soul food

If you haven’t heard Trappa’s music, he describes it as simply, “that gravy”. “It’s that grandma’s kitchen on Thanksgiving, Christmas day and you’re looking for that gumbo, that hot gravy with the potato salad and greens.” Sounds delicious. 

“God changed my name.” Initially, Three Da Soul Trappa used to go by his then-secular name Rodmann. “God said, change my name, at the end of the day I was obedient.” It’s not uncommon for CHH rappers to go through a rebrand when they switch over from secular. 

The state of Hip Hop

As a culture, we give it (hip hop) too much praise, Trappa said. “We started out with people rapping about making an earnest living for the family…some of the things that’s out now I’m like we’re losing it, that’s why I appreciate the space that we’re in because we get to shift the dynamic.” 

Inspiration

Lil Wayne is a big inspiration of Trappa’s due to their New Orleans ties. He also mentions Michael Jackson and Young Thug as other inspirations because of their creativity. 

“Making music has never been hard for me.” It’s just God, the rapper admits. We’re just hearing all of the thoughts in our heads. 

The revelation

Last year Trappa says he took a break away from everything, music, and social media as he battled depression after losing loved ones.  He went back to self-medicating. 

How often do we face a lot of roadblocks and take a step back to realize that God is just pruning us for what is to come? Then the revelation came.  “A lot of people want the fame and the goody-goody from God.  But he said you’re gonna suffer with me too.  You’re going to be prosecuted.”

Check out Da Soul Trappa on Spotify. And catch this wave with Da Fixx on weekday mornings at 6 est. on Holy Culture Radio Sirius XM Channel 154. Remember to follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to join the conversation. 

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