Jake Paul, Bhad Bhabie… Robbie Tripp: How “Curvy Wife Guy” Turned Viral Fame into Rap Success

Article presented by Nathan Davis

In today’s social media landscape, our feeds and timelines are saturated with more content than ever, an endless void of videos, images, and words known ubiquitously as “content”, has never been more diverse and expansive. With so much of this digital real estate being inhabited by hundreds of millions of users, cutting through the noise is a feat that fewer artists and creators are accomplishing.

Which is exactly why it remains as sought-after as ever.

Look no further than internet sensations turned viral music artists such as Jake Paul or Danielle Bregoli aka Bhad Bhabie. From YouTube rapper DDG to influencer/singer/songwriters Bella Thorne and Madison Beer, the crossover between online influence and music is becoming a natural transition for internet stars. Entering this unique intersection of artist and content creator is tricky, but a handful of viral internet personalities have managed to pull it off, emerging through a mix of high-quality content, polarizing personality, and digital marketing savvy.

This year, perhaps to the shock and surprise of naysayers, one online figure seems to be emerging as the next artist to meet this creative criteria: Viral rapper and internet personality Robbie Tripp. As many may recall, Tripp made an indelible mark in internet culture in 2017 when his heartfelt tribute to his “curvy wife” made international headlines and sparked a trending debate on social media on the topic of body positivity. After being featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker for pioneering the “wife guy” movement in internet culture, Tripp’s platform skyrocketed, gaining millions of followers across social media for his unique platform.

While casual scrollers may have lost touch of the “curvy wife guy” in the years following the now famous (or infamous, depending what side of the debate you were on) viral post, Tripp has continued evolving as a content creator and is now having success as a unique internet personality/hip hop artist hybrid in the ever-growing music streaming space. From working with Grammy-Award winning rap megaproducer Jahlil Beats to earning “Song of the Year” for his Phoenix Suns NBA Playoffs anthem, Robbie Tripp has been cracking into the music industry year by year.

And now, it seems his time has arrived.

Thanks to viral body positive anthems like “Chubby Sexy” and “Big Girl Banger” taking over TikTok with hundreds of millions of views on the popular video-sharing app, Tripp was soon being featured in print magazines such as GQ and Men’s Health, and performing during NBA All-Star weekend. Tripp has continued creating viral moments with each release, proving he is a legitimate force in both the creator community and the music industry. And now, it seems the Las Vegas rapper and internet personality may be more than just “the wholesome Post Malone of body positivity”, as Flaunt Magazine called him.

This year, Tripp is currently riding a wave of momentum that has had the internet rap world pulsating with opinions, generating a heated discussion in hip hop comment sections across the internet. With the release of his aggressively-catchy “Basic Bro” song and music video in March, Tripp sprinted out of the gate with what he teased would be “an unprecedented run” of new projects being released throughout the year. The music video quickly surpassed 1 million views on Tripp’s official YouTube channel, and clips from the official “Basic Bro” music video generated massive buzz on popular rap blogs WorldStarHipHop and No Jumper.

Weeks later, Tripp dropped “Money Honey”, an official single and colorful music video featuring viral rapper Lil Seeto. The unassuming Lil Seeto, an up-and-comer from Pullyuap, Washington, became a near-overnight rap sensation in his own right after delivering his now synonymous “slimy maneuver” verse on popular Bay Area rap blog Thizzler’s annual cypher series.

Impressively, Tripp almost immediately followed up with a big punch, announcing his long-awaited collaboration with Memphis rapper BlocBoy JB after teasing the project for years. Many know BlocBoy for his mega-hit “Look Alive” with Drake that reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. In June, Tripp released “They Said” featuring BlocBoy JB to his global audience. The music video–filmed in Tripp’s hometown of Las Vegas at his favorite jewelry store–quickly surpassed a million views on his official YouTube channel, and again sent comment sections abuzz on WorldStarHipHop. Tripp’s momentum in securing a massive co-sign from a major label artist such as BlocBoy JB, notably signed to mogul Yo Gotti’s CMG label with Interscope Records, has the Las Vegas rapper’s stock soaring.

Currently, Tripp is riding the wave of his most recent release, a highly-anticipated summertime anthem titled “I Wanna Have Fun…” produced by 3-time Grammy Award-winning producer Andrew Dawson. Dawson is best known for his work as one of Kanye West’s longtime producers and engineers on platinum-selling albums such as Late Registration, Graduation, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

With a TikTok audience of 1 million followers, half a million followers on Instagram, and a YouTube channel surging past the 100,000 subscribers mark, Tripp looks to be successfully evolving his career from body-positive influencer to up-and-coming artist of the internet era. No doubt about it, Robbie Tripp has been hard at work. And gauging from his viral presence on social media, it seems he is slowly joining the ranks of internet celebrity-rapper hybrids such as Jake Paul, Soulja Boy, Bhad Babie, and Yung Gravy.

“Just wait ‘til the world gets a load of me,” Tripp said in a recent interview with E! News.

The internet is indeed waiting on Mr. Tripp’s next move.