William Lee Barefield III, better known as Trip Lee, was born and raised in Dallas, TX. As a young boy, Lee had dreams of being a professional athlete or 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,” Trip says. But upon giving his life to Christ, at age 14, his focus changed from fortune, fame, and women to serving and ministering the Gospel.
Lee slowly recognized that all of his life should be centered around Christ. “One day, I just decided, I’m only doing Christian hip hop. Rappers like Ambassador and Da Truth helped provide a model for how I would begin to do that,” he says. He also had an immense desire to learn and teach the Word of God, so he became a leader in his youth group and preached his first sermon at age 17.
In 2004, Lee met Lecrae at a concert; months later, after talking and building with each other, Lecrae began to disciple him. While still in high school, Lee was given the opportunity to pen a few devotionals for the Reach Records website that dealt with theological matters and showcased his spiritual maturity.
Lee signed with Reach Records, and his debut album, If They Only Knew, was released a few days after his high school graduation. His first full-length album introduced hip-hop fans to his distinct southern sound, unique delivery and gospel-saturated lyrics. That same year, he was also featured on the Dove Award-nominated, Jesus Muzik with label mate Lecrae.
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