Don Trip w/ Tha Landlord

Memphis native Don Trip holds fast to his roots as a street rapper, even though he has stood next to Macklemore, Danny Brown, and Future for XXL Magazine’s 2012 Freshman Class and has made songs with rap legends like Juicy J and Young Dolph. A nonstop work ethic has kept Don Trip grinding out a steady stream of mixtapes, EPs, and other projects that often come out within months of each other. Trip has kept his hustle up with a steady flow of independently released mixtapes in the late 2000s right on through to more fully realized studio efforts like 2023’s The Devil You Know, multiple collaborations with Starlito, and parts one and two of Forgiveness Is God’s Job (2025).

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.

Trip’s stream of output continued apace, and along with guest spots on tracks for many other artists, the next several years saw the rapper release titles such as the 2021 album Pray God’s Not Watching, the 2022 mixtape Christopher: Season 2, and several EPs. The Devil You Know, the most notable project of a dozen he released in 2023, included guest work from now-frequent collaborator Starlito, Kendrick P., Casino Jizzle, and others. Another dozen mixtapes and EP-length releases arrived throughout 2024, and in 2025, he connected with Starlito for Step Brothers 4 Life (plus subsequent editions Step Brothers Four & a Half and Step Brothers 4 Life & After) while also delivering his own Forgiveness Is God’s Job…Part 1 and Forgiveness Is God’s Job…Part 2. Deluxe versions of the latter two projects followed in 2026. ~ David Jeffries