| After huge success with his album "U Gotta Feel Me" and his releases before, Lil' Flip is back in the studio recording a follow up. The lead single "What It Do?" produced by Mannie Fresh is currently making its radio rounds. I went into this delayed interview excited, all prepared to ask about Slim Thug and T.I. and get the juice on Flip's side of things. Slim Thug had no problem answering questions about it. However, prior to the interview Flip's publicist told me that there were no questions about T.I. or Slim Thug allowed. So, I went onto other matters.
MVRemix: What's currently going on with the Clover G's?
Lil Flip: Ah man, I got my liquor out right now. I'm tryin' to do some Jay-Z shit
right now. I got my liquor, I got Clover G Apparrel Ltd., I got new
artists; Squad Up, Crime Bosses, the Clover G's. I'm not stoppin'! I'm
makin' beats now, I'm directin' my own videos and I just finished up
writin' my own movie, so I'm gettin' ready to shoot my own movie, man.
MVRemix: What's going on with your movie "Pimpin Ain’t Easy"?
Lil Flip: Yeah, yeah... What I wanted to do, man, because movies take up a lot of
your time and stuff - what I wanted to do was make sure that I could
have some product out on the streets while... When I do my movie I wanna
have other artists bubblin', so when I take off to do movies, I wanna
have at least half of my album done, and I want my artists to be able to
go on the road and keep the Clover G name hot. Then, when I get done
with the movie I'll drop another album, ya dig?
MVRemix: What's the situation with you much talked about LP with David Banner?
Lil Flip: Oh yeah, you know what - it's kind of like the situation when Beanie
Sigel and [Memphis] Bleek were supposed to drop an album and they were
promotin' it. Well at that point in our careers we was just together
every day. We got about ten tracks lyin' around, but because our schedules
are conflictin' and he drops his albums the opposite of when I drop my
albums, we haven't been able to really even work on it. But, if worst
comes to worst we will for sure do a mixtape, and the mixtape will
consist of original tracks - people love that shit.
MVRemix: What's currently going on with Squad Up?
Lil Flip: They recordin' they album man, like I said, we don't ever stop
recordin'. They featured on my new album. I wanted to give them a little buzz
to get they name out there so they rappin' on my shit. They wrappin' up
they album and they mixtape.
MVRemix: What's going on with Lucky Nites (Lil Flip's liquor)?
Lil Flip: It's out. That shit is almost sold out, like that shit cannot stay on
the fuckin' shelf, honestly. It's out in Houston, that shit stays
fuckin' out. It's doin' good, all of the girls love the shit. The niggas like
the shit too.
MVRemix: How do you feel about it? Are there any particular combinations or
concoctions you like to use it with?
Lil Flip: Yeah, where we from we drink that purple stuff so I mix it with that.
But basically the best way to drink that shit, I drink that shit cold. A
few of my homeboys, they drink that shit hot. Some of the niggas be
mixin' that shit with some Hennessey and shit.
MVRemix: When did you get and what inspired your first tattoo?
Lil Flip: My first tattoo was a cross on my stomach, just for believin' in God -
that's what inspired that tattoo.
MVRemix: How many do you now have?
Lil Flip: Got 40 now.
MVRemix: Tell me about "Time Bomb" (Flip’s Tattoo shop)
Lil Flip: I got a homeboy named Richard and he can do tattoos. He had a studio in
San Antonio and whatnot and I'm like this man, when I make money, I'm
not gonna limit myself to make rap money. There's a few things in the
businesses that I own that's a necessity to the rap world. Forever
rappers will get tattoos, forever rappers will wear clothes, forever rappers
will wear watches, forever rappers will drink liquor, forever rappers
will want beats - you dig what I'm sayin'? So basically I just went in
on him and we got the tattoo shop in San Antonio. Everybody that comes
through San Antonio get they tattoos there. You tell 'em Flip sent you,
you get 25% off.
MVRemix: I heard you were working on a watch line, can you tell me about
that?
Lil Flip: Yeah, I got the Clover G watches comin' out with the album. I'm
actually givin' away five Clover G watches with the album. When you buy the
album, there's gonna be like ten winners, there's gonna be golden tickets
in the albums and I'm givin' away ten gifts. Five clover G watches and
five Clover G chains. The watch is a four time-zone watch, well five
including your time zone. And you can spin it! Not like a rim or
whatever, you can turn it and you'll have four four leaf clovers and whichever
style you wanna wear with the four time-zones you can wear like that,
or you can turn it and wear the four four leaf clovers with diamonds in
'em.
MVRemix: What separates your clothing lines from the others that rappers have on
the
market? (5 Star General for men and Clover Girls clothing lines)
Lil Flip: For one, I'm making some shit where niggas can be comfortable. For one
I've got the camoflague, for the street grimey shit. Then I've got the
clothin' line for the kids. For the girls, I got Clover Girls, some
sassy shit; halter tops. A lot of people wearin' halter tops with the
jewels, with the encrusted ice - the little crystals and shit like that -
that's real big and whatnot. Then I've got the collared shirt - you
know, dudes have gotta go to work or whatever, and they've gotta wear
collared shirts. So I've got sophisticated shit in there and shit for the
streets for niggas that's on the block that don't wanna wear collared
shirts. Throw on a fuckin' t-shirt and do what they do. Each t-shirt gonna
have some kinda slogan, you feel me?
MVRemix: With regards to "U Gotta Feel Me," you said you felt that you needed
more hits.
Is "I Need Mine" more geared towards hits?
Lil Flip: Yeah, well not necessarily more hits. More so meaning I shoulda shot
another video. What happened was I was so busy
tourin' when I went to Europe - I was over there for like a month and a
half, and when I came back I just got back in the studio in like a
week. I didn't have a chance to shoot a video because I was on tour so
fuckin' much. This time around I'ma shoot five videos, and with the album
I'm givin' away a DVD and I got three videos on the DVD. So this time
around the fans get a DVD of me, plus the hottest footage of when I went
overseas to Amsterdam with Wu-Tang Clan. So I take niggas into coffee
shops and show 'em how you can actually buy weed in Amsterdam. I'm
givin' the fans everything they wanna know with this album.
MVRemix: With regards to the album, can you tell me a little about
guests/producers or concepts featured?
Lil Flip: Yeah, well you know me, I refuse to have 50 fuckin' features on my
album. Like most niggas who get they deals right now, they feel it's a must
you have everybody on your album and I'm not gonna turn my album into a
compilation. You dig what I'm sayin'? So the guests on my album, of
course I got Squad Up, Z-Ro from the Screwed Up click and the Clover G's.
But I got one of my favourite rappers which is MJG, you know Eightball
& MJG. I got a record with Nate Dogg, I got a record with Lyfe on the
album, and you know anytime I do an album Three 6 Mafia gon' be on
there. But as far as the production go, I produced five tracks on the album.
Scott Storch gave me a track, Salaam Remi gave me a track, of course,
the new single "What It Do?" Mannie Fresh made that.
MVRemix: A la "Fight Club," "If you could fight any celebrity, who would you
fight?"
Lil Flip: [ponders] I'm tryin' to think who would I straight wanna stomp the shit
out of? I would have to say the dude who plays Napoleon Dynamite. I
would slap the shit out of him 'cause he wore them tight ass fuckin'
pants.
MVRemix: Do you reckon you'd win?
Lil Flip: [chuckles] Yeah man, dude's a little bit too fuckin' goofy. Somebody
should stop him from wearin' those tight ass pants man. He walk around he
probably got a yeast infection that shit's so tight.
MVRemix: What do you think is the biggest mis-conception of you?
Lil Flip: There's a few of 'em but the main thing is... People get mad. If you
from the streets and you come in the rap game people don't understand
that you can't hustle with everybody. In the streets, if somebody comes up
to you and says he likes your dope, you can't put him on. So a lot of
these people feel like I don't wanna work with them or whatever, but I
look at it like this man; the cats who helped me get to where I'm at -
those are the people I feel I owe shit to. Like if you ain't do a
motherfuckin' thing for me, I don't owe you a dime or nothin' and you're
lucky if I give you advice. You see what I'm sayin'? So the cats that I
help, I'm helpin' them for a reason because these cats actually helped me
get to where I'm at. You can't help everybody or you end up like
Hammer.
MVRemix: Aside from the album do you have any other guest appearances or
compilations
you've been working on?
Lil Flip: I mean, I'm gettin' a soundtrack ready for the movie, but aside from
that, that's it. I ain't doin' shit else but makin' beats and editin' my DVD.
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