Welcome back to the Rap Map, where we speak with rappers about videogames. Today we’re talking with Mr. Don Trip, whose Stepbrothers, a collaborative mixtape with the rapper Starlito, won heavy acclaim throughout the rap world.
What games do you play?
Mostly sports. NBA2k, Madden, NCAA. Other than that, I’m pretty much into Call of Duty, Medal of Honor. Any first-person shooter. I like realistic ones. I ain’t a fan of Gears of War, or the one with all the aliens. I ain’t cool with aliens.
Why not? What draws you to more realistic games?
I don’t know. I like war movies, I guess, so that’s probably what draws me to the first-person shooters. As for sports, I’m a little athletic. I’m not Kobe Bryant, but I can play.
Would you ever want to be a playable character in a game?
Of course. Doesn’t matter what game it is.
What’d you play when you were younger?
I used to play a lot of wrestling games, I’m probably going back too far, but I was into WCW No Mercy. Smackdown vs. Raw, there’s a couple of them I got. I grew up on Madden and NBA Live.
You also made the Stepbrothers mixtape with Starlito that got a lot of attention. How did you guys get hooked up on that?
Actually, our relationship started because of videogames. When I first met him, I was at his studio, and he was recording, and when he finished, I wound up beating him in a game, and when he been holding a vendetta ever since, so he make it his duty to beat me in whatever we playing.
When you guys rap together, is there a element of friendly competition?
Of course it’s there, but we do that no matter what song we’re doing. I think that’s why we get along so well in the songs is that I know he’s going to go give it his all, so I do it too.
Would you say that relationship is different when you’re playing games?
I would say so. Of course in a game, I’ve got to win. He my people, but I can’t let him win.
When you rap, how often do you find references to games coming into your lyrics?
It ain’t too often. I play a couple games that I know people aren’t too fond of, like Red Dead Redemption. They think you’re crazy when you come into the room and you’re playing a Western.
That game’s like Grand Theft Auto, but with cowboys in it, right?
Yeah. It’s got pros and cons. It’s cool that it’s a Western, but you can get anywhere faster in a car than on a horse.
Check back next week, when we chat with Starlito about his favorite games. You can download Stepbrothers here.
-Drew Millard