Wesley Eric Weston Jr. (born 3 March 1981), better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. Raised in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas, he began his musical career as a freestyle and

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults, wordplay and Diss (music), disses originating in the African Americans, African-Amer ...

per before signing with the local record label Suckafree Records in 1999. Three years later, he secured a joint venture with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, achieving mainstream recognition for his 2004 singles " Game Over" and " Sunshine", which peaked at numbers 15 and two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, respectively.

Musical career

1999–2003: ''The Leprechaun'' and ''Undaground Legend''

In 1999, Lil' Flip secured his first recording contract with the independent

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

label Sucka Free. On 18 July 2000, he released his debut album, '' The Leprechaun'', which garnered the attention of

DJ Screw Robert Earl Davis Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000), better known by his stage name DJ Screw, was an American hip hop DJ based in Houston, Texas, and best known as the creator of the chopped and screwed DJ technique. He was a centra ...

, the influential founder of the Screwed Up Click. Impressed by his skills, DJ Screw invited Lil' Flip to join the group and bestowed upon him the title of "The Freestyle King".. Pandora.com In 2002,

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

extended a joint venture recording and distribution deal to Flip and Sucka Free. Reflecting on the partnership, Flip stated: On 27 August 2002, Lil' Flip released his second album, '' Undaground Legend'', which achieved

platinum certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by December of the same year. The album featured the single " The Way We Ball". In 2003, he appeared on a number of notable tracks, including "Like a Pimp" by David Banner, " Tear It Up" by

Yung Wun James Carlton Anderson (born May 5, 1982), also known by his stage name Yung Wun, is an American rapper from Atlanta. He only produced one studio album "The Dirtiest Thirstiest" in 2004 Biography Yung Wun was raised in the Eastlake Meadow ...

, and "Ridin' Spinners" by

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American hip-hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip-hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' became an influen ...

. That same year, Flip also contributed a guest verse to

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

' track "Screwed Up" from the album '' Chicken-N-Beer''.

2004–05: ''U Gotta Feel Me''

In 2004, Lil' Flip released his third studio album, and first double-disc project, ''

U Gotta Feel Me ''U Gotta Feel Me'' is the third solo studio album by American rapper Lil' Flip. It was released on March 30, 2004, through his own label Clover G/Sucka Free/ Sony Urban/Columbia Records. Production was handled by Play-N-Skillz, Red Spyda, Th ...

''. Following a restructuring at his label,

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, he transitioned to Sony Urban Music, which he believed would provide stronger promotional support. The album’s lead single, " Game Over (Flip)", was followed by " Sunshine", featuring Lea Sunshine. The album sold 200,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) in August 2004. That year, he also featured on the "Naughty Girl (Remix)" with

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

and contributed to Chingy’s '' Powerballin''' with a remix of the hit single " Balla Baby". In addition to a remix of " Game Over (Flip)" featuring Young Buck and Bun B, Flip made a guest appearance on

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

’s album ''

Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and Apocrine sweat gland, apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distribu ...

''. He also collaborated on the "Certified Gangstas (Remix)" alongside Jim Jones and The Game in 2004. The following year, Lil' Flip partnered with

Z-Ro Joseph Wayne McVey (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007. Early life ...

to release the collaborative album '' Kings of the South''. In 2005, he featured on

Chamillionaire Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He began his career in Houston's hip hop scene in the late 1990s. He was briefly signed with the local record label Swishah ...

’s debut single " Turn It Up" and appeared on the remix of Bun B's track " Draped Up". Additionally, he contributed to the '' 2 Fast 2 Furious'' soundtrack with the song "Rollin' on 20s", featuring fellow Houston rapper Yung Redd.

2007–09: ''I Need Mine'' and ''Respect Me''

In 2007, Lil' Flip parted ways with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

and established his own label, Clover G Records. The label was launched as an imprint under Asylum and

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Its first release was Flip’s third album and second double-disc project, '' I Need Mine'', which was released on 27 March 2007. The album debuted at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 43,000 copies in its first week. Two singles were released from the album: "What It Do" and " Ghetto Mindstate (Can't Get Away)". Lil' Flip’s planned fifth studio album, '' Ahead of My Time'', was originally slated for release as early as 2007 but faced numerous delays. In an effort to generate anticipation for the project, he released two promotional albums, or "album-before-the-album" releases, in 2009. On 29 September 2009, he released his fifth album, '' Respect Me'', as a promotional effort for ''Ahead of My Time''. The album was distributed by High Powered Entertainment and

E1 Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

. Later that year, on 24 December 2009, Lil' Flip released his first fully independent album, '' Underground Legend 2'', through his self-owned label Clover G Records. This release also served as a promotional tool for the upcoming ''Ahead of My Time''.

2010–present: More independent releases

On 6 July 2010, Lil' Flip released '' Ahead of My Time'' as his second independent album. Alongside this release, he debuted his artist Damienn Jones with the album ''Beauty and the Beast''. Both projects were distributed independently through Lil' Flip’s self-owned label, Clover G Records. On 31 October 2013, Lil' Flip released his third independent album, ''The Black Dr. Kevorkian''. Distributed once again by Clover G Records, the album sold over 10,000 copies in its first week. On 17 March 2015, Lil' Flip released his sixth studio album, ''El Jefe'', which was distributed by SoSouth Records. The album’s lead single, "Game Over II", served as a sequel to his earlier hit single " Game Over (Flip)". The second single from ''El Jefe'' was titled "In My Pimp C Voice", a tribute to the late rapper Pimp C. The third single, "Bestfriend", featured guest appearances by E.J. Carter and Rev City.

Other ventures

Clover G Records

Clover G Records or Clover G La Familia is a record label owned by

rapper Lil' Flip. It was established in 2004.

Fashion designing

In 2004, Lil' Flip launched his footwear line, "Clover Footwear," which is branded under his self-owned label, Clover G Records. Additionally, Lil' Flip has a fashion clothing line called "Clover G Clothing," which is also branded under his self-owned label, Clover G Records.

Author

On April 15, 2014, Lil' Flip released his debut book titled "Don't Let the Music Industry Fool You!" The book was accompanied by a soundtrack album.

Discography

Studio albums

* 2000: '' The Leprechaun'' * 2002: '' Undaground Legend'' * 2004: ''

'' * 2007: '' I Need Mine'' * 2009: '' Respect Me'' * 2009: ''Underground Legend 2'' * 2010: '' Ahead of My Time'' * 2013: ''The Black Dr. Kevorkian'' * 2015: ''El Jefe'' * 2016: ''The Art of Freestyle'' * 2018: ''King'' * 2018: ''Life'' * 2019: ''The Art of Freestyle 2'' * 2019: ''The Music Machine'' * 2020: ''Feelings'' * 2020: ''No Feelings'' * 2020: ''The Leprechaun 2'' * 2022: ''The Art of Freestyle 3'' * 2022: ''Fondren Flip'' * 2023: ''Worthing Wesley''

Collaboration albums

* 2005: '' Kings of the South'' (with

) * 2006: '' Connected'' (with

Mr. Capone-E Fahd Azam (born April 27, 1976), known professionally as Mr. Capone-E, is an American rapper. He is the owner of the record label Hi-Power Entertainment. Early life Fahd Azam was born in the Peshawar district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provin ...

) * 2007: '' Still Connected'' (with Mr. Capone-E) * 2008: '' All Eyez on Us'' (with

Young Noble Rufus Lee Cooper III (born March 21, 1978), also known by his stage name Young Noble, is an American rapper and member of Tupac Shakur's rap group Outlawz. Noble joined the Outlawz in early 1996, and was the last member to be added to the group ...

) * 2009: ''

Certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

'' (with Gudda Gudda) * 2025: ''Kingz of the South, Vol. 2'' (with Z-Ro)

Soundtrack album

* 2014: ''Don't Let the Music Industry Fool You''

Bibliography

* ''Don't Let The Music Industry Fool You!'' by Wesley "Lil' Flip" Weston (2014: Harris Royal Bloodline Publishing, April 15, 2014)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flip, Lil 1981 births Living people African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers African-American non-fiction writers American non-fiction writers American shooting survivors Rappers from Houston Screwed Up Click members Songwriters from Texas Warner Records artists Writers from Houston Gangsta rappers African-American record producers American music industry executives American hip-hop record producers African-American songwriters 21st-century American rappers Record producers from Texas 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians American male songwriters