Lil' Flip
Lil' Flip | |
|---|---|
| File:Lil' Flip.jpg Houston Texas Rapper Lil' Flip | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Houston, texas |
| Years active | 2000- Present |
Lil' Flip (born Wesley Weston, Jr. on March 3, 1981 in Pineland, Texas) is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is known for his unique freestyling style and for becoming one of the first Houston rap artists to become mainstream and nationally known. Lil' Flip was given the title of "Freestyle King" by the legendary DJ Screw. He is also a member of the Screwed Up Click.
Lil' Flip grew up in Houston. He was discovered by the late DJ Screw and was quickly influenced to rap at freestyle battles in order to gain respect in his Cloverland neighborhood. At the age of 16 he was signed to Sucka Free Records, a local label founded by Daune "Humpty Hump" Hobbs and Lil' Flip himself. He was a part of the rap group H.S.E. (Hustlaz Stackin' Endz) and the group released an album that introduced Lil' Flip to the world.
Lil' Flip's career was launched when he released his first album The Leprechaun. The album quickly gained national attention and spawned the hit single "I Can Do That". The album sold over 100,000 copies regionally and gained attention from Def Jam South, A & R, and well-known Houston rapper Scarface. He was briefly signed to Def Jam, but abruptly left the label a few years later after concerns about his financial earnings. He soon signed to Loud Records and began recording his first national debut album.
While recording his album, he was apparently shot by unknown assailants in a drive-by shooting. He survived the attack and pressed on to finish the album. At the age of 20, Lil' Flip released his sophomore album Undaground Legend, his first nationally released album, which included the hit single "The Way We Ball" and a remix to his hit "I Can Do That". The album reached platinum status even though it didn't get much promotion from Loud Records.
Lil' Flip recorded his third album U Gotta Feel Me on Sony Records. This album was more commercial and featured Ludacris, Three 6 Mafia, and others. The album debuted at Number #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Number #3 on the Hip-Hop/R & B charts. It quickly became a crossover success with the Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 single "Game Over". The single used the Namco Pac-Man beat and the video showed Lil' Flip getting a tattoo while rapping to the single. The single reached Number #1 on the hip-hop charts and became an instant success for Lil' Flip. His follow-up single, the lover's anthem "Sunshine" featuring newcomer Lea, became the second single on Lil' Flip's album and went to Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It gained numerous requests on MTV 2 and BET. The album was certified double platinum.
Lil' Flip is known for his unique style of freestyling and for frequently releasing double disc CDs whenever he releases an album. Lil Flip is the first person to release a chopped and screwed album and credits his success to the late DJ Screw. DJ Screw also helped Lil Flip's career by naming him the "freestyle king", doing so because Lil Flip's freestyle record was 150-0. Lil Flip has also been credited for his lyrics by Three Six Mafia, Chamillionaire, David Banner, Fam-Lay, Young Buck, UGK, Ludacris, among others. Contrary to popular belief, he has NOT proclaimed himself as the "King of The South," but rather made the argument that Scarface was the "King of the South" and not T.I.
As of July 14, 2006 his album "I Need Mine" was leaked onto the internet after he left Sony Records. He has recently signed with Asylum Records and plans to release "I Need Mine" in 2007.
Trivia
- Lil' Flip grew up with his grandmother and sang in the church choir in his early life.
- He is 6'1.
- Refers to his one vheicle as "The Lexus from Texas".
Disputes
While on tour, Lil' Flip and rapper Hump had a dispute over the royalities from his album sales. Flip and his cousin, rapping under the pseudonym Flopper on the same label, left to form their own record label, Clover G Records. Lil' Flip was sued for breach of contract due to the fact he owed four albums to Sucka Free Records. He decided to form his own label in order to gain more creative freedom and earn more credit from his next album.
Namco attempted to sue Lil' Flip for the use of their trademark Pac-Man beat for the hit single "Game Over". This lawsuit was one of the many lawsuits filed by the RIAA and federal courts, which now require all musicians to credit samples from music, even if the samples are from video games. The suit has since been settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Lil' Flip was also engaged in a high-profile battle with Atlanta rapper T.I., who heard that Flip insulted him onstage at a concert in Atlanta while he was incarcerated. T.I. believed that Flip mocked his claim as the "King of the South", but Lil' Flip denied the accusation. Apparently, T.I. only learned of the alleged insult through hearsay. The two released numerous disses on mixtapes and the radio, including T.I.'s "99 Problems (But Lil' Flip Ain't One)" over the beat of the similarly titled Jay-Z hit. T.I. crashed a concert in Atlanta and distributed posters featuring Lil' Flip wearing his leprechaun suit (from his debut album). The dispute came to a head when T.I. shot a video in Lil' Flip's own neighborhood in Houston. According to Allhiphop.com, T.I. was on a Houston radio station talking about the situation between him and Lil' Flip, and during the visit managed to insult the neighborhood that Lil' Flip grew up in. The rapper was confronted by Lil' Flip and fellow Houston rapper Z-Ro, and a fight broke out between them. Gunfire broke out shortly after and those watching the altercation scattered. The feud has since been resolved behind closed doors thanks to Rap-A-Lot Records CEO J. Prince. However, it is obvious that some lingering hostility remains based on various interviews since the conflict was deaded.
On T.I.'s latest album "King", there are two tracks which have been disputed by the hip hop community to be shots at Flip ("What You Know" and "I'm Talkin' to You"). However, in an interview with HipHopGame.com on March 24th, 2006, T.I. was quoted as saying he and Flip have no beef.
Flip has also gotten embroiled in a feud with Slim Thug and Paul Wall. The dispute started from a track on Z-Ro's 2005 album titled Let the Truth Be Told titled "From The South". On it, Flip says the following:
- Ever since 1999, I had diamonds in my grill
- You just rapping that ain't platinum, homie you need to chill
- Cause you embarrassing Texas, nigga you ain't trill
- Nigga you been on my dick, way befo' you got your deal
- These rappers finally get some fame, and think they got it locked
- After your album flop, nigga you gon be on Koch
- My gear clean, from my ear rings to my pinky ring
- If you ain't spend thirty boy, tuck in your piece and chain (Southside)
Slim Thug perceived this as a shot at him due to the title of his major label debut 'Already Platinum'. He responded on "Buss The Tech" on a Gangsta Grillz mixtape. He alleges that the other members of the Screwed Up Click don't acknowledge him as a true member and questions his street credibility.
Flip alleged that the verse was not aimed at Slim Thug, but rather Paul Wall. Flip stated that Paul idolized him even before he got his major deal. He even went so far as to claim that after his 2001 shooting, Paul told him that he was going to get a tattoo in the same spot as the bullet wound. Incidentally, Paul is friends with T.I. and has acted as his DJ at some of his shows, but Flip says that has no bearing on his issues with Paul.
Flip has long maintained that Swishahouse has been copying slang and concepts from the Screwed Up Click. He says that phrases like "What it do" (now almost invariably associated with Paul Wall; also the title of the lead single from Flip's fourth album I Need Mine) and styles have been co-opted by his north Houston neighbors. His fellow S.U.C. members don't seem to have any problem with Swishahouse (aside from Z-Ro and Point Blank, who aren't fans of DJ Michael 5000 Watts; Z-Ro and Watts have recently made peace); in fact, they've been prominently featured on one of Swishahouse's major releases, and Lil' Keke is now a part of their roster.
Discography
- 2002: The Leprechaun
- 2002: Undaground Legend [Certified: 2x Platinum]
- 2004: U Gotta Feel Me [Certified: 2x Platinum ]
- 2005: Kings Of The South (with Z-Ro) [Certified: Platinum]
- 2006: I Need Mine
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | |||
| 2000 | "I Got Flow" | - | - | The Leprechaun |
| 2000 | "I Can Do Dat" | - | - | The Leprechaun |
| 2002 | "U See It" (feat. Chamillionaire) | -#18 | -#29 | Undaground Legend |
| 2002 | "The Way We Ball" | - | #36 | Undaground Legend |
| 2002 | "I Can Do Dat [Remix]" (feat. Juvenile, & Skip) | -#25 | -#24 | Undaground Legend |
| 2004 | "The Ghetto" | - | - | U Gotta Feel Me |
| 2004 | "Bounce" | - | - | U Gotta Feel Me |
| 2004 | "Game Over (Flip)" | #15 | #1 | U Gotta Feel Me |
| 2004 | "Sunshine" (feat. Lea) | #2 | #2 | U Gotta Feel Me |
| 2005 | "Turn It Up" (Chamillionaire feat. Lil' Flip) | #41 | #21 | The Sound of Revenge |
| 2005 | "What It Do" (feat. Mannie Fresh) | - | #14 | I Need Mine |
| 2005 | "Draped Up Remix" (Bun B Feat. Lil' Keke, Aztek, Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Lil' Flip & Z-Ro) | - | #45 | Trill |
| 2006 | "I'm A Balla (Flip My Chips)" | - | - | I Need Mine |