The Human Torch: Don Trip’s (@MrDonTrip) Fiery Rise to Fame by Nina Stakz (@DJNinaStakz)
It all started in October of last year. Memphis, Tennessee emcee Don Trip burst on the scene via WorldstarHipHop.com with a monster of a song entitled “Letter To My Son”. The homemade viral video was simple, a slim, shirtless Trip spilling his guts to a microphone in a room the size of a closet. For his already loyal hometown fan base, this song was dated, but for the rest of the world it was the proverbial breath of fresh air . 6 days and 12 million views later, Don Trip’s professional music career was officially launched!
Backed by Miami super-producers Cool & Dre, Trip hit the ground running. He says their support came from a discussion they had with popular Memphis radio personality, Larry Live. “Larry ran across Cool & Dre in Miami, they heard sum of my stuff and called for me…” explains Trip. He made his way to Florida to work with the duo because he realized opportunities like that are few and far between, “It’s rare that you get the chance to work with people of their caliber, especially as an indie artist. They actually made tracks just for me”. Cool & Dre were part of the machine behind the push of “Letter To My Son”. Trip says he never expected the song to be so popular but the timing was right, “That issue had never been spoke on, nobody has really been tellin’ these fans the real life shit, so that’s what I did”.
The weeks following his Worldstar debut were a whirlwind. Don Trip’s name was everywhere. Twitter was all abuzz. Celebrities like DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Dwayne Wade and Chris Brown were all tweeting about this new rapper with amazing lyrical prowess. “Letter To My Son” was gaining momentum with the reality of the lyrics as the catalyst. In the industry all was well, but at home it was a different story.
Memphis, Tennessee is a city with a rich musical history. The home of Elvis, Isaac Hayes, Stax Records and the legendary Beale Street. And is much like any other metropolitan city, filled end to end with aspiring musicians. Don Trip has now emerged as one of the town’s most popular rappers alongside names like 3-6 Mafia, 8Ball & MJG and Yo Gotti. Now he faces the pressure of staying true to his hometown, a job that many have attempted and failed, leaving Memphis in search of more support in cities like Atlanta, Houston and L.A. “I never plan to move. I plan on replacing Elvis”. Trip’s words come with the knowledge that staying in Memphis will be an uphill battle.
Violence and poverty are at an all time high in Don Trip’s hometown. Drugs and gangs are rampant. On the music front there is something just as destructive brewing. There is a general belief that Memphis DJs, artists, radio personnel and fans are “band-waggoners” and only support their own after they have proven themselves outside of the city. Lack of unity is the usual prognosis but Trip says the people who say that are wrong, “…they are terribly mistaken. I’ve done a song with every major name in Memphis and these people have no problem with each other. (Yo) Gotti speaks highly of 3-6 (Mafia)”. But log on to any Memphis based Hip-Hop blog site and you can read the complaints from up and coming artists about being hated, overlooked and ignored. Trip says he’s been where they were and many of them don’t understand the groundwork that comes with making it, “You gotta earn a rep. When you’re a rookie you gotta earn your stripes. Respect is EARNED”. He says now that he is gaining national notoriety, some people in his hometown feel it’s his obligation to lend a helping hand to lesser known artists. “I got 10 people with me, if they all eatin’ that means I’m giving back. I don’t owe other rappers in Memphis nothin’, but at the same time I ain’t goin’ nowhere either”.
A Lot has happened to Don Trip over the past year. A deal with Interscope Records, Cee-Lo Green lending his voice to the remix of “Letter To My Son”, he’s worked with a number of other Hip-Hop heavyweights including Wale, David Banner and Dr. Dre. His most recent mixtapes, “Stepbrothers” with Nashville rapper Allstar and his “Human Torch 3″ have been huge online successes. He was added to BET’s college tour and is also on The Game’s “Red Tour”. Trip promises to keep his music honest and says this is only the beginning, “The pressure is on now that I got a buzz. I been doin it since I was 16…it just got real”.
For more information visit www.MrDonTrip.com or Twitter: @MrDonTrip
VIDEOS:
Letter To My Son feat. Cee-Lo Green: http://youtu.be/TTy2lOLmkN8
Good Morning: http://youtu.be/JWVa5MtrDHc
He is underrated by far….most of the rappers out shouldn’t be