Lil’
Flip has come a long way since his days as a teen freestyle wiz in
Houston. With a solid decade of recording experience under his belt,
he’s also been subject to some of the worst nightmares any artist could
have. From being shot in 2002, to being sued over the Pac Man sample in
“Game Over,” to serious label woes when his album got leaked in his
last deal at Sony, Flip could easily be a wary soldier on a dirty
battlefield.
Rather than let past decisions and troubles jade him, Flip morphed into
a stronger, wiser businessman. Now with a new independent situation
with Asylum, a successful alcohol brand, a book and a television series
on the way, he is ready to enjoy a fresh start. We sat down recently
with Lil’ Flip for some quality time – leaving the Lucky Nites alone,
of course.
AllHipHop.com: Now you finally got this double album coming
out. You left Sony, the album got leaked. How did that get leaked, and
what were your feelings?
Lil’ Flip: With Sony it was a lot of different little things that went
on that I didn’t like. A million things from doing promo runs, I would
get to the show and see the [label] reps getting money. I know how
three grand worth of 20’s looks. The “Game Over” lawsuit was another
reason. The first album I did only got one video because they didn’t
know what to do with me. I did a remix with Kelly Rowland for a song
called “Can’t Nobody,” I had two verses and it seems like my second
verse was purposely put off beat. I heard it, [I was] like “Why am I
off beat?” I called the station and had to get that recalled.
Then I do the “Naughty Girl” remix and I’m told they’re going to do a
video for that the same day they did the “Sunshine” video, I didn’t do
that. I did the Amerie “One Thing” remix, she had one with Eve and I
did one. Basically I didn’t get to shoot videos for all of those,
because at the time I had problems with a rapper, and they shot videos
for the exact same tracks that he did with the same artists that I
worked with.
It’s a lot of different sneaky situations that will be in my book coming very soon, Life Before and After Sony.
I wanna show people the life before I even met them and what I did to
become where I’m at. A lot of times rappers let people make them be
puppets and pull them on strings [like] “Go here, go there” and they
don’t ask questions, they just go. By me being in a couple of bad
situations, you cant just amp me up to go do something without me
asking some questions.
AllHipHop.com: Now going to Asylum, do you feel that you’ve got some of that creative control back?
Lil’ Flip: I got most of it back, it’s still a few people that don’t
understand me. When I listen to music, I really critique everything I
hear. It’s just to the point where I believe in me, and not just
believing in me because I’m me. I really had a chance to study my
competitors and everybody else that are and aren’t my labelmates; their
quality of music, their hooks and production. Literally, no one has
given you an album where you can jam front to back classic material,
concepts. Not just about their grills and candy paint. Mothaf**kers
need to start listening when I tell them, because I know what fans want
to hear from them.
AllHipHop.com: You basically got your start as a freestyle guru. Do you
feel that the art of freestyling has been lost the last decade?
Lil’
Flip: Oh hell yeah, it’s been lost. I won’t say for a decade, but close
to a decade, because freestyling is when you flow off the top of your
head about what’s going on with nothing written. If it’s a freestyle,
your man in the back shouldn’t be doing your adlib. That s**t is gone,
n***as don’t got that no more. Dudes cant f**k with me, that’s right up
my alley. We used to freestyle for hours, driving from Houston to New
Orleans.
AllHipHop.com: Do you feel that people don’t understand that
southern artists like yourself have the gift of freestyle? Do you think
there’s a stereotype around that?
Lil’ Flip: I think everybody kinda got their own idea of what
they think Hip-Hop is. Hip-Hop is whatever you want it to be. I feel
like if you’re a real Hip-Hop head you should be able to freestyle,
write, be good at hooks and verses. You gotta have all the qualities
and that’s what I feel like I bring.
AllHipHop.com: Do you feel that beef has been good or bad for your career and image?
Lil’
Flip: My thing is I’ve been in beefs before that situation, and all the
beefs that I’ve been in I wasn’t in the wrong. I don’t go around
starting s**t with different people. Actually I feel like it was good
for my career, because when you come in the game you think everyone is
your friend… and when that battle was going on people that I let rap on
my album who said I was their idol and that I put them on, DJs that
said they were down with me…I kind of saw who stood on this side and
that side. I really just learned that the industry is full of bandwagon
people.
With that being said, the beef really helped me find out who was my
real friends, who really just f**ks with me because I’m in their face.
I’m glad to know, because you could get hurt surrounding yourself by
people that you think got your back. I really didn’t know a lot of
people felt certain ways until this came out. I’m saving more money now
[with] less people around me.
AllHipHop.com: I’ve heard people say that you had a better sound when
you were with your original label [Sucka Free Records] versus what you
have now. Do you feel like you sacrificed anything in your sound or
vision?
Lil’ Flip: My original music was more [of a] Texas vibe,
meaning that I rapped about more s**t than my grill, I had different
topics like the biz and “Gotta Be Me.” But at the same time, I didn’t
wanna just cater to the candy paint and all that s**t. I feel like I’ve
gotten better in every aspect of songwriting, picking who I’ma
collaborate with, topics. On the new record I got a track called
“Single Mother” – I just came up with more concepts.
AllHipHop.com: Tell us a little bit about [I Need Mine]. It’s been a long time coming now…
Lil’ Flip: When I left Sony, they leaked it. I kept my album under
wraps At my label we burn no music. You wanna listen to it ,come to the
studio. If I burn a disc, after I listen to it I break it. I kept my
album under wraps, they leaked my s**t. They leaked 19 of the 28, I
went back in the studio, picked my favorite nine and did a whole new
album. With that being said, I had to go back in the lab and get it
cracking again – I did 27 new songs.
AllHipHop.com: How did some of those collaborations come about? Was it more organic? Did the label help you?
Lil’ Flip: Nah, I knew all of these people. The only
collaboration that was hooked up by the label was the one with Collie
Buddz because he was on Sony at the time. But Lyfe, Rick Ross,
Three-6-Mafia, Nate Dogg, Z-Ro, Sqad Up, MJG, Chamillionaire, Mike
Jones – all that was kind of off of relationships.
AllHipHop.com: I read a rumor that you re-upped the beef with T.I. Is that true?
Lil’ Flip: No.
AllHipHop.com: Do you feel that there comes a time when someone becomes too old to have beef?
Lil’ Flip: Hell yeah, I been raised around older people my whole life.
My grandparents raised me, a lot of people see me and say I act like
I’m way older than I am. The type of s**t that entertains people my age
doesn’t excite me. Hell yeah, that s**t is f**kin’ played out. Nah I
aint rejuvenate s**t. I aint got s**t bad to say about that man, if
that was the case I’d be like “F**k him” and, you’d hear dis records. I
don’t know who you got that from, I sat down at a table with J Prince,
who’s my n***a. I told J I’m gonna keep my word, and I’m gonna keep my
word. I ain’t got nothing bad to say about that n***a, I ain’t mention
him in none of my songs.
AllHipHop.com: You have Lucky Nites [liquor] still going strong, you’re
writing a book. What other ventures do you have going on?
Lil’ Flip: The American Rapper
reality show. A lot of these reality shows is kind of a mockery of
Hip-Hop. With my show I’m gonna try to find a rapper, they get a two
album deal, a chain and money. I’m teaching ‘em media training. How to
handle interviews, what not to say and do. How to talk to people and
network, how to run commercial spots, how to construct a song,
attitudes. People think nowadays that if you’re the greatest rapper
then you’re going to be famous. You could be the greatest rapper, but
have a s***ty attitude, and don’t nobody wanna f**k with you. So I’m
going to 10 states, New York, Chicago, Vegas, Houston, Dallas and a few
other places. I’m gonna find the best people, then eliminate and chop
them in half. It’s gonna pretty cool.
AllHipHop.com: What network will that be on?
Lil’ Flip: I got two different people. One person got more
money and one person has more exposure. The average person would have
took the most money, so I’ll know in about four more days which one I’m
gonna go with. Actually, I gotta fly back to L.A.
AllHipHop.com: When is that gonna hit? In the fall?
Lil’ Flip: Well what I’m doing is I got a I Run Texas tour
coming first. Then after that I’m gonna do a Fly Boy tour that’s all
around the world. So when I’m doing the tour I’ll be filming also. As
of now I want it to be me and Devin, then I’m gonna get two more other
than that. Z-Ro gets out in a few months, so he might miss the first
couple weeks of it. I’m gonna get a couple of other artists on it, so
that when I’m not on stage the crowd wont be getting bored. When you
put up new groups they try to do 40 songs like “This is coming out in
two years.” [Laughs]
AllHipHop.com: Anything else you want the fans to know?
Lil’ Flip: Tell ‘em cop the album, free my n***a Z-Ro, anybody
want beats, holla at your boy. I did like six tracks on the album. You
can call 501-960-4649, call 832-888-8850. Have your money ready, don’t
call talking about “Can I talk to Flip?” and all that bulls**t. Go cop
the album, go to Myspace and Youtube, I got a new thing I’m doing
called Clover G TV. If they go to Youtube and type in Clover G TV
you’ll see the “Bust a Clip” video, the “Fly Boy” video, the “Fly Boy”
remix video with Mike Jones and “Sorry Lil’ Mama” with Z-Ro. We just
shot the “I Get Money” video, me and Jim Jones. Y’all just stay tuned,
we grindin’.
