Q&A
With Scottie Flippen
October 2010
1. How long have you been:
(A)Writing
SF – As long as I can remember, I’ve always been a writer. I have memories of writing little songs when I was nine or ten years old. Obviously, the quality has gotten better over the years. The way I go about it is the biggest thing that has changed. I used to just jump right in and put the pen to the paper, and whatever came next is the direction I took. Now I like to sit down with the beat and give it some thought. I may play with it in my head for a few days before I come up with that perfect concept, but when I do it helps to make the song a lot more cohesive. I know exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it. I think a lot of cats in this industry rely on the strength of the beat and the skill of their producer more so than the actual song writing. All you have to do is turn on the radio to hear some bullshit that sounds like they spent about 15 minutes on the song. Or maybe these cats are just dumb and lucky, take your pick.
(B)Recording
I recorded my first song at Dru from the Runners studio when I was 18 years old. We went to high school together, and he was doing big things even back then; I could tell he was going to take his music to the next level. About five years later he produced “Everyday I’m Hustling” by Rick Ross and “Money on My Mind” by Lil Wayne. That was a learning experience for me because it was the first time I had ever been in the studio, and I was a little in awe with the high dollar setup he had as a 17 year old producer. To make a long story short, the track wasn’t much to talk about, but it inspired me to put together my own studio and start getting more serious with my music. I ran like that through college, but eventually I had to step it up to industry quality recording, which leaves me where I am today – copping the best studio time money can buy.
(C)Performing
I did my first live show in 2004, and I’ve pretty much been out there since then. I stepped it up about three years ago when I moved to Winston-Salem, and I have played pretty much everywhere inNorth Carolina and a lot of places in the southeast. It’s all part of a building process. My goal was to build a solid draw locally in Winston-Salem and in my hometown of Cullowhee, NC then take it on the road and try to do the same around North Carolina. Once I felt like I had gotten out there enough, I started making moves up and down the East Coast from DC to Atlanta. Next it’s nationally and internationally, but like I said, it’s all a building process…one step at a time.
(D)Producing
I relied heavily on the producer in the early stages, but I feel like I know exactly how I want everything to sound before I get in the studio now. I’m a lot more hands on in the mixing process, and I always have the final word on every track.
2. What/Who/Where influenced you to take music as serious as you do and as a profession?
More than anything else, I think it was the competitive nature I have inside me. I was always an athlete and losing was not an option. I had a line in a song that started, “It ain’t that I love winning, I just hate to lose.” I think that plays hand in hand with my drive, I’m self inspired. I grew up listening to the same music that everyone else did, we all have similar influences. I think that early on in my career when I felt like another more seasoned artist got more love than I did, it pissed me off. I decided that no matter where I went or who I played with, I was going to put down the best set in the building that night. If I didn’t, I left feeling like I just lost the state championship or some shit. From that point, I took it upon myself to put in the hours and hours of practice and preparation before I went to the studio or a show that would ensure the end result I was looking for. Nobody is going to outwork me…nobody.
3. Describe your style of music
Style…that’s what most of these cats are lacking. Most artists in this industry follow little trends or what they think is “hot” at the time. I’m always going to be me; no gimmicks, no image, no bullshit, just me. With that being said, I feel like I’m pretty diverse as an artist because of the many different places my life has taken me. I try to make a little bit of something for everybody, not just one facet of hip-hop. I bring together 90’s west coast sounds with a hint of down south flavor and a piece of New York consciousness. No matter what, I’m always talking about something. You’ll never hear me on a track talking about my fucking watch or chain and how stupid fly I am. That’s up for the fans to decide, let the music talk.
4. Do you believe there is a difference between “Hip Hop” and “Rap” and what comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “Real Hip Hop?”
Hip-Hop/Rap is a culmination of a lot of other genres combined, a melting pot of music if you will. I really don’t pay much attention to the labels people try to attach with the music. What’s “real” for me may not even apply to someone else. My homie Renaissance from Solos had a line that said, “Is this hip-hop or something else? I don’t know what to call it myself.” Those words hit the nail on the head for me. I will say this though, if what they play on the radio is “real” hip-hop then I’m on some whole other shit.
5. Give us a little background on your musical accomplishments and pinpoint the most rewarding of those.
I try to stay humble with all of this right now. Awards and accolades don’t mean anything to me at this point. I’ve never promoted myself for an NCUMA or CMA award because they’re bullshit. They have no real panel of judges and the majority of nominees are people that haven’t really accomplished anything musically. I think a lot of cats put stock in this type of thing just to give themselves a pat on the back that no one else will. We have an ongoing joke that NCUMA stands for the “North Carolina Unheard of Motherfucker Awards.” It’s nothing personal towards the people who throw these events or the artists that participate, but if you place a label on your product that represents the state of North Carolina then you open yourself up for scrutiny if it’s not done right. Get back at me in a couple years, and I’ll tell you how many records I’ve sold, that’s the true test.
6. What is the meaning behind your stage name?
Scottie Flippen…it rings bells. Even if you’ve never heard of me, you’ll be sitting there like, “I think I’ve seen that name before.” Obviously, it’s a play off of Scottie Pippen; I was a huge Bulls fan growing up before they started drafting all those Duke players. That’s their biggest problem haha!
7. Who do you work with and who do you look forward to working with in the future?
Most of my beats are made in house by Turn Two Productions, Conbud & Mike Machete. They bring that fire on every track and have a sense of creativeness not shared by many in this game. They work a lot locally in Winston, having already produced the 2nd Revolution album and the last Pic Squad tape. We’ve had the needle to the record for a while, and our chemistry is only improving. I record at Underground Sound in Greensboro, NC. It’s a state of the art studio and has been a really good fit for me so far. I also recently added another important dynamic to my live set, the female vocalist. If you’ve been to see me perform then you know who Kelsey Lou is. I bring her up on stage for about four or five tracks per set, and it adds a lot of soul and feeling to the performance. It’s definitely one of the separating factors between me and other groups. It adds an element they don’t share.
8. Talk a little bit about the current state of the North Carolina Independent music scene.
It’s without a doubt as strong as it’s ever been. North Carolina is country music territory, and it’s taken a long time to not only warm up the people to hip-hop, but the venues as well. I’ve made a conscious effort to try and start doing more shows with bands from other genres, and it has worked out great so far. I think that if we start doing more of that, it could help bring all of our crowds together and be beneficial for everyone involved. Beyond that, the biggest thing we’re missing is a presence on local radio. How the hell are artists like myself going to make it if our local radio stations won’t support us? It’s crazy to me that I can get radio play all over the country but not right here in my backyard. They’ll tell you they have no control over what they play and that it’s all corporate…bullshit. I’ve got a couple good ideas in mind to get past that, but I think I’ll keep that to myself.
9. What are your upcoming projects/shows and is there anyone you would like to shot out?
First off I gotta thank Ty Bru, MTTS & Vinny Savage from HypeNC.com for taking the time to do these 10 questions with me. That’s a real good look, and I hope I’ve answered everything to the fullest.
I’ve been working religiously on my album, “You Bouncin With Scott: Volume 1.” I haven’t set a release date yet, but it will be at some point in early 2011. I’ve made enough progress now that I can actually say that with full confidence. I didn’t want to just throw some half ass project together and hate myself for it later. This is a culmination of several years of hard work and from the time you hit play on Track 1 until the final beat fades it’s gonna have that bounce.
I’ve also got some pretty big shows coming up in the near future. I’m playing in the A3C Hip-Hop Festival, which is the southeast’s premier event. You can check out www.a3cfestival.com for more details. It’s held in East Atlanta Village, and I’ll be on the outdoor Jakprints Stage at 2:10 PM on Saturday, October 9th. There aren’t a lot of North Carolina acts performing, so I’ll make sure I rep to the fullest. I’m looking forward to the networking more than anything else, and I would advise any of you who are serious about your music to attend regardless of whether you got in or not. Cats like Erick Sermon, Murs, Killer Mike, Camp Lo & 9th Wonder will all be performing.
I’ve also got some pretty big dates coming up here in North Carolina. I haven’t announced these yet, so you heard it first from HypeNC. I’ll be playing with Jadakiss in Greensboro at the end of October and Nappy Roots back in the mountains in early November. I’ll be announcing the details at some point in the next couple of weeks, so make sure you stay up on that.
10. What kind of stamp or legacy would you like to leave behind when it’s all said and done?
It’s pretty simple; I’m coming for that #1 spot. Download my single and the title track from my album, “You Bouncin With Scott (#1 Spot),” turn it the fuck up, and I’ll fill you in with the rest of the details.
Get the Free download by following this link - http://www.divshare.com/download/11484098-d10
Network With Us!