Don Trip

Memphis native Don Trip holds fast to his roots as a street rapper, even though he eventually stood next to Macklemore, Danny Brown, and Future for XXL Magazine’s 2012 Freshman Class and made songs with Memphis rap legends like Juicy J and Young Dolph. A nonstop work ethic kept Don Trip grinding out a steady stream of mixtapes, EPs, and other projects that could come out within months of each other. He kept his hustle up from a steady flow of independently released mixtapes in the late 2000s right on through to more fully realized studio albums like 2023′s The Devil You Know.
Born Christopher Wallace in Memphis, Tennessee, Don Trip grew up in a rougher part of the city and his family struggled financially. Trip was working by the age of twelve, and at 15 he was inspired by Jay-Z, 2pac, and strangely enough the success of child pop rap phenomenon Kriss Kross to start rapping himself. In hopes that it would help his family, Trip began releasing his songs and performing live. Although he has been active since the mid-2000s, Trip’s output became prolific just after the turn of the following decade. In 2011 alone, he released volumes in two series of solo mixtapes (one based on the Human Torch and one based on the Terminator), collaborated with Nashville native Starlito on Step Brothers, and hit Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart with “Letter to My Son,” released on Cool & Dre’s Interscope-affiliated First Family imprint. Step Brothers Two landed in 2013, then Trip resumed solo work with Godspeed, The Head That Wears the Crown, and 2 Clip Trip, independent titles released across 2015 and 2016. He and Starlito reconvened for Step Brothers Three in 2017. The following year saw Trip drop the full-length Christopher, which included features from Jus Bentley, Starlito, 8Ball, Singa B, and Bink4sho. His usual prolific stream of output never slowed down, and along with guest spots on tracks for many other artists, the next few years saw the rapper release multiple mixtapes, 2021 album Pray God’s Not Watching, 2022 mixtape Christopher: Season 2, and several EPs. His 2023 album, The Devil You Know, included guest work from now-frequent collaborator Starlito, Kendrick P., Casino Jizzle, and others. ~ David Jeffries