Wesley Eric Weston Jr, famously known by his stage name, Lil Flip, is the third generational Weston, descended from his grandfather Wesley Weston Sr. Lil’ Flip is a 40 year old American OG rapper, record producer, and songwriter from Houston, TX. Kicking off his career he quickly gained recognizance for being a freestyle and battle rapper, making him apart of the stepping stones towards the growth of hip-hop history.
Lil Flip may no longer be a household name but he’s one of the many stories of how anybody can thrive in this industry on their own. This true story about Lil’ Flip shows that through hard work and determination, he made his dreams into a reality resulting in his career. Lil’ Flip is just one of the thousands of inspirational stories that, no matter what happens, never give up on yourself, fight through all the tough times in your career, and always believe in your vision.
Hustling from the bottom and putting his talent number one on his priority list, Lil’ Flip didn’t let fear of fitting in or being liked affect his career journey. He lead strong with creating his own style and continuing with being an independently ran and operated artist. His hard work paid off, and at 18 years old he signed his first independent record label deal with Suckafree Records, in 1999.
After signing with Suckafree Records, an independent label, it didn’t take long before Lil’Flip took off, catching the attention from a well-known and respected DJ, Dj Screw, with his debut album “The Leprechaun.” Mid-way into 2000, Dj Screw added his newest founded talent to the popular rap group “Screwed Up Click.” Shortly after placing him in the group, Dj Screw gave the title and pronounced Lil’ Flip “The Freestyle King.”
“The Freestyle King” and his first debut studio album “The Leprechaun” was released the summer of 2000. More than 200,000 copies of the first album were sold alone, making it a massive hit for its time.
When considering offers in 2002 from Loud Records, Lil’ Flip and his deal with his independently owned music recording label, Suckafree, were both offered contracts. Loud Records seemed to honor Lil’ Flip's relationship with Suckafree. They both felt that the label understood their accomplishments as a independent record label, as well as what they stood for. Soon after, Flip started recording his first national album at the age of 20, honoring his newly signed record deal.
Releasing on August 27, 2002, Lil’ Flip produced his “Underground Legend” album, this was his first nationally released album ever. The record contained hit single “The Way We Ball” and a remix to his hit “I Can Do That.” The album reached platinum status in December of 2002. Although the record did not receive much or even any promotions from Loud Records, it still made Billboard 200 and Top Rap Albums in the U.S charts.
Dj Screw wasn't the only artist who saw all of Lil' Flip's untapped potential. Anyone could say that Flip was seen as one of the very few lucky artists of his time. He has released many collaborative albums and studio albums with some of the most memorable legends while they were still in their professional rapping careers. He collaborated with artists such as Beyoncé in "Naughty girl (remix)", Chingy, Nelly's album "Sweat", Jim Jones, Chamillionaire in his first single, "Turn it up", Ludacris’s track "Screwed Up", and again in 2003 with Three Six Mafia single,"Ridden Spinners", just to name a few.
2003 was a big year for Lil’ Flip as he began working with Real Talk Entertainment, which was founded by Derrick “sac” Johnson. This wasn't just any record label, it was a label focused on releasing albums that reached gold and platinum status. In 2003, Lil’ Flip was one of the record label's supporting artists, making him the perfect fit.
Due to his most songs making it into the top charts as well as U.S. Billboards, many of Lil’ Flip's albums even went gold and platinum status. Impressive for an Atlanta based rapper. His studio albums included "El Jefe", "King", "Life", and "The Art of Freestyle".
Since Lil' Flip chose the independent path for his journey with the music industry, it gave him a wide range of opportunities at his disposal. Flip made more money and had more control of his career by choosing the independent route.
Eventually founding his very own record label in 2007, calling it “Clover G Records”.
Accomplishing a lot of impressive milestones throughout his lyrical experience, collaborating with some of hip-hop’s big named artists, and selling over 23 million records worldwide, as well as a few double-disc albums, saying Lil’ Flip was a huge success in what he did for the history of hip-hop would be an understatement. He even took it to another level by creating brands in clothing and shoe wear that were sensational hits. Naming both lines of brands after his record label, Clover G Records.
Maturing and slowing down with his older years closing in on him, Lil’ Flip takes a step out of the mainstream eye. He’s even admitted that he’s seen changes within the music industry. His net worth today in 2022, is 4 million, and don’t forget to check out his website at lilflipmusic.net, where he still thrives independently.
