Lil Flip

Long before Houston became a must-see destination for A&R executives and trend sniffing tastemakers eagerly scoping out the next big thing, the steamy southern fried city was HQ for a cadre of hungry, determined soldiers. Soldiers who were ready willing and damn sure more than able to hold H-town down and bring that city's syrupy slow, crunk- rich vibe to whatever heads might be fiending for the new. Lil' Flip ain't new to this. The pride of Houston, Texas, aka "the Freestyle King," has been bringing home-town, homegrown hip-hop style and sonics to appreciative audiences since the late 90's: both as an underage protégé of the late legendary mix tape visionary, DJ Screw, and on his own hugely successful CDs. Whether keeping it totally underground on classic joints like 1999's The Leprechaun or unleashing his trademark flow on chart-topping releases Undaground Legend (2002) or 2004's U Gotta Feel Me, Lil' Flip has grown from being a regional contender to a A-list heavyweight champ. "People think that when you get that crossover success you forget where you came from," Flip explains. "But now that I have more fans I'm gonna keep bringing what they came to me for in the first place. I can' t forget where I'm from and what brought me to where I am now."