Even if you don't know anything about trap music or 2 Chainz, you may have heard of the Trap House. For those of you who were living under a rock and missed it, the Trap House was a bright pink home that was located off of Howell Mill Rd in Atlanta. Ok so the house is still there but sadly it's been painted back to white and stripped of all it's Trap House glory. 2 Chainz, who is an Atlanta native, rented the house and painted it bright pink with the word Trap on the front of it to resemble the home on the cover of his new album Pretty Girls Like Trap Music to promote its release. The lease may have ended on July 7th but not before history was made.
All it took was a few posts on social media and Atlanta natives who followed 2 Chainz (@hairweavekiller on Instagram) were stopping by the house to take selfies and share them with the hashtags #traphouse and #prettygirlsliketrapmusic. The Trap House quickly went viral and became a popular tourist destination. There were people that drove hours and from other states just to be part of Trap House history. It's a Vibe is the title of one of the songs on the album and probably the most appropriate way to describe the Trap House because it definitely brought nothing but positive and good vibes. During it's short lived life, 2 Chainz held several listening parties but these weren't your standard listening parties. These listening parties came in the form of paint and sips and even a pop up nail salon where ladies where able to get their nails one for free. If you were lucky enough to make it inside you would have seen walls covered with artwork from hip-hop artists like Andre 3000, another Atlanta native. I even attended a Pretty Girls Like Trap Music Fit Fest which essentially involved a bunch of "pretty girls" doing a HIIT workout set to trap music. And yes, that's where I got my pink Pretty Girls Like Trap Music yoga mat. I'm not even going to lie. Before the Trap House the only song I was familiar with was I'm Different from back in 2012. Now I find myself blaring Sleep When U Die with the windows down on my car on my way to the Farmers Market after yoga! So if anyone wants to question if the Trap House was a successful marketing strategy, i'm proof that it worked but what originally began as a marketing tactic to promote his new album quickly became something far greater than what anyone could have imagined. Perhaps not even 2 Chainz.
Although the city of Atlanta received plenty of complaints from the neighbors due to high traffic and noise, I don't remember seeing anything on the news about any riots or fights. There were laughs and plenty of photo ops from everyone there and most importantly there was a sense of unity because if there's anything that can bring people together it's our appreciation for selfies and IG modeling opportunities. If you visited the house or look up #traphouse, you'll see people of all backgrounds, races, and ages. Not really something you'd see in front of a real trap house. You won't find Instagram worthy houses or see as much diversity and smiling faces. The word trap by definition refers to a house or community where drugs and other illegal activity is common. A place where the residents are essentially trapped into a life of poverty and drugs due to their circumstances. No, this was definitely not your traditional trap house. During it's last week they even hosted a Trap Clinic offering free HIV testing and they even took us to church ya'll by holding Trap Church led by social activists who encouraged those in attendance to get involved with local organizations!
In it's short lived life the Trap House provided a sense of unity, encouraged community service, and
raised cultural awareness. However, probably the most important message is that you don't have to be trapped by your circumstances. You can do more and be greater. 2 Chainz and his team have proven that Pretty Girls Like Trap Music is more than a trap album. It's a movement. Well played sir. Well played!
Besos (Smooches),
Chula
