LIL' FLIP BIOGRAPHY

Lil' Flip, born Wesley Weston, hails from Cloverland, a community south of Houston that boasts a strong hip-hop contingent. The boy had a natural feel for language and rhyme; those around him were amazed by his impromptu rapid-fire verses. He attracted the attention of mix tape master DJ Screw, eventually joining his Screwed Up Click rhyming posse. The Texas native instantly won the respect of rappers across the Dirty South.

Weston could "flip styles" masterfully on Screw's mix tapes, earning both his artist name and the title of "Freestyle King." After being but a mere footnote on regional albums, Lil' Flip teamed up with concert promoter Duane "Humpty Hump" Hobbs and formed the indie label Sucka Free Records, immediately releasing the group effort Hustlaz Stackin' Endz in 1998.

lil' flip drops the leprechaun

Word of mouth alone helped the group sell 27,000 copies, just what Flip needed to go on a bold solo project. The Leprechaun sold over 100,000 copies in 2000, thanks to the smash single "I Can Do Dat."

Satisfied with his debut, Lil' Flip went back to honing his mixing skills, picking up where Screw left off after his untimely death. Flip put together no less than 10 mix CDs, each selling about 30,000 units.

lil' flip joins columbia records

Lil' Flip had the attention of those in the know, including the big labels. Columbia Records saw in him a big seller, and

bid the highest amount to acquire Sucka Free. Now he could tour as much as he wanted, his reputation spreading as far as Chicago and Detroit. But months before putting out his first major label album, Flip took some bullets to his side during a Houston drive-by.

lil' flip is an undaground legend

It was almost miraculous; Flip not only survived, he was released from the hospital the next day. Good thing,

because it was platinum time for the Texas rapper. Undaground Legend, his second solo album, surpassed the million mark and made it onto Billboard's Top 200 (at No. 12) and the hip-hop/R&B charts (at No. 4), thanks to hits like "The Way We Ball."

That was it for Lil' Flip; he no longer needed other rappers' names to be noticed. He was the name. His presence on David Banner's Mississippi: The Album helped shoot it to "smash hit" status, especially with the single "Like A Pimp."

flip releases u gotta feel me

In March 2004, Lil' Flip cemented his spot in hip-hop royalty with his third release, U Gotta Feel Me, abetted by appearances by Ludacris and Cam'ron. "Game Over" is a bouncing club groove with skillful sampling of sounds from Pac-Man games, "Sunshine" is a breezy summer track, and "Bring Da Pain" (a.k.a. "I Came To Bring the Pain") gets the crowd rowdy thanks to its fast beats and orchestral rhythms.

The album made it to platinum status in August, its success prompting EA Sports to use the groove "What's My Name" on NFL Street. Another Flip track, "I'm The Greatest Player," is featured on PS2's NBA Live 2004.

lil' flip enjoys some lucky nites

Today Flip is delving into the business side of music, founding his own label Clover G Records and releasing a pineapple-flavored liquor called Lucky Nites. Flip describes the drink by saying, "It tastes like an Amaretto Sour, but it's way stronger than that sh*t."

Categories: Artist Biography's