Don Trip facts for kids

Christopher Donnie Wallace Jr. (born August 20, 1985), known as Don Trip, is an American rapper. He is known for his unique "Memphis sound" in hip hop music. He has been making music since 2007.

Don Trip is famous for his 2011 song, "Letter to my Son," which featured CeeLo Green. A video of him recording the song became very popular online. Because of this, he signed with Epidemic Records in 2011. This label is part of Interscope Records. The song was then officially released as his first major single. The next year, he was named an XXL Freshman, which is a big honor for new rappers. Later, he decided to become an independent artist, meaning he released music on his own. His 2015 album, Godspeed, even made it onto the Billboard 200 music chart. He also has a popular series of mixtapes called Step Brothers with rapper Starlito.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Don Trip grew up in East Memphis. His family faced challenges, and his mother worked hard to support him and his siblings. From a young age, Don Trip wanted to help his family. When he was 12, he started working to help out.

He found inspiration in famous rappers like Jay-Z and Tupac Shakur. He even studied their song lyrics closely. At 15, he felt a strong desire to do more for his family. Inspired by the rap group Kris Kross, he started rapping and creating his own music.

Music Career

Starting Out: 2012

Don Trip began his music journey at age 15. He spent time improving his rapping skills. In the late 2000s, he started releasing his own mixtapes and songs. Between 2010 and 2012, he released nine projects. He shared his mixtapes on popular websites like DatPiff and HotNewHipHop. This helped him gain many fans who enjoyed his street-style rap.

His song "Letter to My Son," first released in 2009, became very popular on YouTube. This helped him become known in mainstream hip-hop. The song talks about his struggles with not being able to see his son due to a court decision. People praised the song for showing a real and tough part of life that isn't often heard in rap. In 2012, after the success of "Letter to My Son," XXL magazine named Don Trip one of their "Freshmen." This list includes rising stars like Future and Danny Brown. Soon after, he signed with Epidemic Records, a label connected to the production team Cool & Dre and Interscope Records.

The Step Brothers Series

Don Trip with Starlito at the Vice Media office in 2017

Before signing with Interscope, Don Trip had a big hit with his Step Brothers mixtape. He made this mixtape with fellow rapper Starlito in 2011. The mixtape included jokes and references to the movie Step Brothers. It became very popular among rap fans.

Yo Gotti introduced Starlito and Don Trip to each other a few months before the mixtape came out. Both rappers already knew each other's music. They quickly realized they worked well together and decided to create a project. They recorded the entire Step Brothers mixtape in just three studio sessions. Because of its success and their great teamwork, Starlito and Trip kept working together. They released Step Brothers 2 in 2013. Even though Don Trip lived in Memphis and Starlito in Nashville, they always met in person to record. They never just emailed songs back and forth. In 2017, they teamed up again for Step Brothers 3. Before that, they released another mixtape called Karate in the Garage. Like their earlier projects, Step Brothers 3 was released independently. It received great reviews from music magazines like Pitchfork and XXL.

Personal Life

In May 2022, Don Trip married a nurse from Memphis. They welcomed their second son together. As of December 2023, Don Trip has eight children: two sons and six daughters.

Discography

Mixtapes and EPs