Rise Trip Lee

Atlanta-based Christian rapper William Lee Barefield III is best known to fans as Trip Lee. A founding member of the Southern Christian rap collective 116 Clique, Lee moved from his birthplace of Dallas, Texas to attend Philadelphia Biblical University. He made his full-length album debut in 2006 with If They Only Knew. His second album, 2008's 20/20, featured guest and Reach Records labelmates Lecrae, Tedashii, and Sho Baraka. Not only did it break into the Billboard Top 200, but it also broke into the Top Ten of the Christian albums chart. His success continued with Between Two Worlds in 2010, his first to top the Billboard Christian charts. His second chart-topper, The Good Life, arrived two years later and also broke onto the rap charts. Lee published a book of the same name months later before announcing his intention to focus his message on ministry. He continued writing and became a pastor. In 2014, he released his fifth album, Rise, his highest-charting Billboard 200 entry (number 16) and his third Top Three Christian chart entry. A second book, Rise: Get Up and Live in God's Great Story, was released in 2015. Lee's sixth studio album, The Waiting Room, appeared near the end of 2016. ~ Jason Birchmeier & Neil Z. Yeung