Starlito & Don Trip Announce The Third Installment in Their Step Brothers Mixtape Series, Out March 15th

When Tennessee titans Don Trip and Starlito joined forces in 2011 for Step Brothers, inspired by the 2008 Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly cult comedy, they developed a quick, infectious chemistry. Don’s manic Memphis energy perfectly complemented Lito’s laidback Nashville charm as the two emcees traded weapons-grade punchlines, told stories, and generally had a blast rapping together. Six years later and still going strong, Starlito and Don Trip announce Step Brothers Three, the duo’s most accomplished effort yet. Combining the raw lyricism of the first Step Brothers with the quality storytelling and higher production value of Step Brothers Two, which peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200, SB3 boasts 15 tracks of straight fire, as the two emcees combine off-the-cuff wordplay with trenchant social commentary. Following up the acclaimed place-setter EP Karate In The Garage, released last month, Step Brothers Three hits stores on The Ides of March, March 15th.

Explains Starlito, “I truly believe SB3, as the numbers suggest, is the perfect combination of SB1 and 2. It’s a legacy project for Don Trip and myself. People appreciate the rawness of 1, where our focus was about rapping the best rap. Part 2, we tried harder for and we stepped up the visuals. With 3, we cover both of those. It’s the rawest, best rap and it also touches on those current topics that make it something that stands out in the marketplace. We started out with the Step Brothers concept because we were two artists from places where lyricism is accentuated. We’re oddballs just like characters in the movie. We’re unlike our peers and very much like one another. We figured that out in a very short time knowing each other. It was a spontaneous friendship. We’ve evolved from Step Brothers to real brothers. It’s a lot more than just about showing up and doing the music or shows and then separating. The bond has expanded beyond being just work friends.”

A hard-working Nashville emcee with a cult following and critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, NOISEY, Passion Of The Weiss and others, Starlito balances wise, world-weary rhymes with a poetic pen and a sense of humor. A firebrand Memphis rapper with a relentless energy and raw emotion, Don Trip earned solo success with the Cee-Lo Green cosigned “Letter To My Son,” a heartbreaking tale about his estrangement from his infant child. Introduced to one another by popular Memphis rapper Yo Gotti, Trip and Lito caught lightning in a bottle with Step Brothers, which Pitchfork listed at #41 in their list of the 50 Best Mixtapes of the Millennium. The duo repeated their success with 2013’s Step Brothers Two, a critically acclaimed, Billboard-charting album boasting the cult hit “Caesar & Brutus,” and several other quality visuals that combined for over 10 million YouTube views. As a fan-pleasing appetizer for the upcoming SB3, Trip and Lito dropped Karate In the Garage, a bite-sized return to SB form for the two rappers, which Red Bull named the Best Mixtape of February 2017.

A nuanced, empathetic take on police brutality in urban areas, “Good Cop, Bad Cop“ is the first release from Step Brothers Three. “Good Cop, Bad Cop” finds Don Trip and Starlito trading bars, spotlighting two officers involved in a shooting over cinematic strings and a gospel choir. With stylistic references to Crash and Training Day, the video brings the song to life with an extended dramatization of the narrative. Describing “Good Cop, Bad Cop,” Starlito says: “This song is our statement on the growing issue of police brutality, corruption, and violence on civilians. We’re attempting to create a healthy dialogue by humanizing the officers, and forcing you to look at the other side with perspective, no matter what side of the debate you fall on.”

Pre-order Step Brothers Three: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/step-brothers-three/id1211484765

Watch “Good Cop Bad Cop”: https://youtu.be/CXBW-beyBGY

Buy Tickets for the Karate In The Garage Tour: http://www.songkick.com/artists/5396343-starlito 

Karate In The Basement Tour Dates (with Scotty ATL & Red Dot):

March 15 – 18, 2017 – Austin, TX – South By Southwest
March 23, 2017 – Detroit, M.I. – Saint Andrew’s Performance Hall
March 24, 2017 – Flint, M.I. – Z Club
March 25, 2017 – Bowling Green, K.Y. – Club Premier
March 30, 2017 – Dallas, T.X. – Trees
March 31, 2017 – Kileen, T.X. – Club Tabu
April 1, 2017 – Houston, T.X. – Warehouse Live
April 15, 2017 – Saint Petersburg, F.L. – State Theater
April 16, 2017 – Orlando, F.L. – Venue 578
April 21, 2017 – Mobile, A.L. – Soul Kitchen
April 22, 2017 – Knoxville, T.N. – The International
April 23, 2017 – Nashville, T.N. – Basement East