Spaceman drops tracks: Kansas teen raps a midwest mixtape, says he’s ready to launch

Give Trip Thomas a phone, and the Olathe Northwest High School senior will get his peers talking. Rapping under the name Spaceman, Thomas is staying grounded as he finds his voice through music, he said, and it sounds a lot like resilience.

Trip Thomas, Spaceman; courtesy photo

“Music was my therapy,” said Thomas, who started writing from his bedroom at 6, later getting deeper into the craft and music production as he became a teenager. “It helped a lot when my mom was struggling financially.”

And like his mother — Vanessa Thomas, a veteran of the musical stage and multiple genres — the teen draws inspiration from a wide-range of sources. He credits his sound to influences from R&B, jazz, and rap.

“Steve Lacy is my main inspiration,” Thomas said of the acclaimed Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter. “I started making stuff on my phone like that, kind of in the same style like R&B, back when I was still singing primarily.”

His sound developed more of its rap flavor after creative sparks from artists like Tyler the Creator, Little Wayne, and Kid Cudi.

Spaceman now boasts about 130 monthly listeners on Spotify and is actively working to build a stronger presence in the music industry, Thomas said.

Click here to follow Spaceman on Instagram.

His first major release of the year was “my honest unfiltered opinion,” which dropped in March, quickly gaining momentum (and 5,000 Spotify streams). Another track — “luv letter 4 the future. Part 1” — garnered another 4,000 streams.

The track was supported by radio airplay on Kansas Public Radio’s 105 Live. It then grew buzz through social media thanks to Spaceman’s versatile musical talent, he said.

His next release — “ZONE785” — is for its official debut Oct. 31. The lead single “CODE785” pays tribute to Thomas’ hometown roots in Lawrence with its 785 area code.

As Spaceman — who considers himself a multi-faceted artist with talents as a guitarist and poet — eyes developing his own studio with limited resources, his biggest challenge is a common one for any teenager willing to express themself, he said: dealing with the hate that comes from putting yourself out there.

“There’s a lot of people who I have lost friendships with — not because of anything I did specifically — but just because they started hating on my music. And well, I don’t make it for everyone else.”

Click here to follow along with Spaceman’s music on YouTube.

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Jocelyn Heckman is a Park Hill South High School journalism student and an intern for Startland News.