LIL FLIP: GHETTO MIND STATE

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24: How does this album differ from your prior projects?
Lil Flip: I would say with this album I experimented all little more and with this album here I wanted to go out and push the boundaries which most southern artist don’t do. So on this album I have songs that are influenced by Reggae, Rock & Roll and real Hip Hop. For example, a song I did called “Single Mother.”

24: Who are some of the producers you worked with on “I Need Mine”?
Lil Flip: Well the big names would be Scott Stortch, Mannie Fresh, Salaam Remi. But with me doing albums for 12 years, a lot of these super producers get to a point where they feel comfortable and lose their hunger and actually start turning down money for tracks. So with that being said, every time I do an album I try to give an up and coming producer the exact same chance I give to the producers with the big names. I feel like they are hungrier because if I tell a known producer to give me 30 beats there going to look at me like I’m crazy but an up and coming producer will have that beat CD to my house tomorrow.

24: My personal favorite song on the album is your current single “Ghetto Mind State” feat. Lyfe Jennings. What is your favorite track on the album?
Lil Flip: My favorite song changes because last week it was “Bust A Clip” and now my favorite song is a song I did with Chamillionarie called “Playa For Life.”

24: What do you feel separates Lil Flip from other rap artists?
Lil Flip: I’m not afraid to try new shit and I did not let no one treat me like a puppet meaning you have a lot of people who let others steer them in the wrong direction and run them into the ground and by the time they look up they don’t have anytime money and their situation is terrible. A lot of artist let people make them do a record that’s not them just because they think its going to sell and I refuse to let someone tell me I need to go into the studio and make a radio hit or something for the women. When I go into to the studio I go into my own zone and do me.

24: A lot of artists seem to be just that, an artist, but you always have been a business man/artist in my opinion. How important is that in the music industry?
Lil Flip: Definitely. When I do an album, I’m doing things like drawing the album cover to picking the beats and it literally takes me a month to put the album order and making sure its sequenced right because I like my album to put people in different moods. But at the same time by me being so young, a lot of the older cats feel threatened and all the talents that I have I only really get to show about 5% of what I can really do. So this year I’m going to grind it out from the shoes, watches, liquor, my own radio show on XM on 66 Raw, movies, and videos. If the fans don’t know, I direct my own videos and I write my own treatment.

24: What do you think contributes to your consistency in the game?
Lil Flip: I would say starting out Independent first and having to sell records on my own at first helped in making me less dependent on these labels. Having to take my own money and go to Kinko’s and press up my own flyers and doing shows at small events standing on a pool table with 1 Mic with a long ass cord or getting paid $100.00 to perform a hit record. It was not my song but I made it a hit and not to come off cocky but I’m just telling everyone the shit I endured to get to where I’m at today.

24: When you look back from when you first got signed to a major and dropped your first album all the way to the present with “I Need Mine” in stores now and you see how much Houston, Texas has grown and become a major force in the music industry, how does that make you feel?
Lil Flip: Man it’s a good feeling but unfortunately I wish the success could of came when everyone was seeing each other eye to eye, but I am very happy and think its about time and just wish everyone can take advantage of the situation and try to make the best music they can and not just put out any bullshit.

24: What’s next for Lil Flip?
Lil Flip: With records sales being at an all time low, I’m about to keep touring. I have a few more dates on the “Street Dream” tour and I’m about to start the “Fly Boy” tour and after that get this album to gold first then platinum and then put out another album because I’ not trying to wait for 2-3 years again and really my next album is done already.

24: My website is doing a mix tape for the best unsigned MySpace artists. What advice would you give to an up and coming artists?
Lil Flip: I would tell them to never burn any bridges and I understand they can’t afford the best beats, but I have a new project I’m working on where I show videos from all underground artist so stay tuned for that and they can check out all of the Clover G videos on YouTube, Myspace and we will be sending out Bulletins where artist can call me up and say my budget is only this and get beats for their demos or up coming projects and our price range is from 1,500 and up. So tell them keep GOD first and don’t try to put to many people on before they get into the door and everything will work out.

24: When you decide to step away from the mic, what do you want the fans to say about Lil Flip?
Lil Flip: I want them to say that Flip did not mind taking the time to sign an autograph. He always treated the fans equal and never looked down at them like he was bigger then them. He always gave us way more music then the average rap artist. Fans may not know this but the label only really pays for 11 songs so for me always doing double albums, that cuts out of my money and most artists won’t do that.

Photo by: Nasilele Photography