The Break Presents: Flipp Dinero
Flipp Dinero's got Joey Bada$$ in his corner but that's not the only reason to pay attention to this rising New York rapper.
The 21-year-old Brooklyn native began making noise when he released the song "I Do" and "Running Up Bands" earlier this year. The tracks made their way around his neighborhood and caught the attention of Joey, making Flipp the first artist Joey cosigned outside of his own Pro Era collective. As the relationship strengthened, Joey would introduce Flipp to Jonny Shipes, Cinematic Music Group's label boss, which eventually led Flipp to a record deal.
“The way Jonny and I came about meeting was unique," Flipp tells XXL. "It was through mutual people like Joey and Dee that rode with the music. Shipes fucked with me on some brother shit and it just grew from there. The homies showed love when they ain't have too... That's why I love every one of them like brothers”
Momentum carried Flipp Dinero to the release of his debut EP, The Guala Way, which dropped last month. The project showcases Flipp's melodic style of delivery but also highlights that he's a lyricist too. A standout track on the tape is "On Some." The video for the record, directed by Francisco Isaiah Perez a.k.a. SHOTBYCISCO, is premiered exclusively by XXL. See Flipp in action in the visual below.
As Flipp Dinero's bright career gets started, learn more about him in The Break.
Name: Flipp Dinero
Age: 21
Hometown: Brooklyn
I grew up listening to: “I grew up listening to gospel, a lot of hip-hop, boom-bap, a lot of R&B. Those are the genres I listened to the most. I was listening G Herbo, a lot of Joey Bada$$, Bankroll Fresh, a lot of Jay-Z, Nas, Amerie.
"I really have been making music all my life. I started rapping at age 15. I don’t know why I started rapping; it was just for the love of the content. I just caught myself doing it. I didn’t know I was a rapper until other people started calling me one. I started taking things seriously about two years ago. I just realized I was good and actually had my own sound. I realized I’m actually talented when it comes to [music] so I wanted to put my energy into it."
My style has been compared to: “I heard it all. I heard Lloyd Banks, I heard Tory Lanez, Fetty Wap. I heard all type of shit. My sound is versatile, it’s real precise. If you listen to my music, you’ll notice that they all have certain similarities. I’m on point with this shit."
Most people don’t know: “I like to read a lot and I used to skateboard heavy."
My standout moment to date has been: “'Running Up Bands' and 'I Do,' but 'Running Up Bands' is huge. A lot of people fuck with it. It just got so much positive point of views from the sound aspect to the visuals. I really focus on visuals because when you have it, it gives it that edge. When your sound is able to move a person you did your job as an artist. You having the visuals on top of that, that’s icing on the cake."
My goal in hip-hop is: “[My goal is] to be able to say five, 10 years from now that I accomplished something. To be able to build a foundation for other artists to present their crafts as well. I want to still be considered a high roll model in this music business. I’ll never let the looks get to my head. It’s all about the craft and getting the people something to fuck with it. It’s more to it than just being the hottest; it’s about helping people."
I’m going to be the next: “Change, because people hear my music and they know how I’m coming. I’m not just making music to play around. I’m actually trying to do something. The borders are broken down in the music game right now. There’s no direction, people just get on a beat and let it out and do what they do. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that but you got to have some type of structure.
"It’s either you’re a rapper or you’re consider a mumble rapper. You can’t consider me as a mumble rapper because I’m rapping bars and the melodies are crazy. I say change because I’m bringing something different."
Follow Flipp Dinero on Twitter and SoundCloud.
Standouts: "On Some"
The Guala Way EP
"I Do"
"Running Up Bands"
"Play Fair"