MIXTAPE DJ REPS WU AND THE CULTURE: DJ Flipcyide
INTERVIEW CHARLES BROWN | PHOTOGRAPHY SHILOH SIERRA PHOTOGRAPHY
DJ Flipcyide is a worldwide award-winning mixtape DJ who has created multiple mixtapes for the mighty Wu-Tang Clan and its affiliates as well as other heavy hitters such as Lloyd Banks, Talib Kweli, Maino, etc. Whether putting records together or scratching in front of an audience, the Texas talent continues to evolve while maintaining a great deal of gratitude and passion.
VALIDATED: Coming from El Paso, Texas, was DJ culture or Hip Hop in general a huge part of your community growing up?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: Hip Hop Culture and DJing was a big part of the community by the time I had started getting into Hip Hop in the 90's! There were a lot of local MC's and a couple DJ's who were already doing their thing. Some I eventually linked up with and worked with or some I had heard of for sure. But it was great to see for being such a small town that people still loved Hip Hop in El Paso and still do till this day!
VALIDATED: With being a mixtape DJ for the Wu-Tang Clan, how does it feel to be a part of such a legendary movement?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: I am a member of the Wu Worldwide DJ Coalition and known for doing many mixtapes for Wu-Tang Members and Wu-Tang Clan Affiliates. I am also signed to Hell Razah Music Inc Records which is the record label from Heaven Razah from the Legendary Sunz of Man! It is huge to have worked with quite a bit of these Hip Hop legends and I am very thankful for all the opportunities I have had through my music career!
VALIDATED: What were some of the notes you took while studying some of your earlier influences?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: I learned to never reach boundaries with your craft and scratching. Always challenge yourself and you can always learn more at any time. DJ Premier is one of my biggest influences as to how I got my scratch style. It is a taste of his but with my own style as well!
VALIDATED: Some say that the struggle is different between artists and producers. What are some of the things that made your journey as a DJ different from any other role in Hip Hop?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: This is actually kind of true! It's easier for me to connect and build with other artists worldwide being a DJ instead of being a rapper or MC! Most artists want to build with a DJ, especially a mixtape DJ or radio DJ, because they know we are going to listen to and spin their music, which is pretty much what they want!
VALIDATED: With a plethora of mixtapes under your belt, did you have to treat your passion as a job to achieve what you have achieved, or were you simply immersed in having fun?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: Yes, the farther I got with a good portion of my mixtapes, it has become more work! There is always the love and passion still for it, but at times, it is work! I can't complain because I love my job! Not many can do this and get paid to do it so I am very thankful to have that as well.
VALIDATED: You've spoken of retirement on previous occasions. What would you like to accomplish before putting the turntables away?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: There are times I do want to retire and just put it behind me, but it's so hard to do that at times when great opportunities come my way. It's so hard for me to say "NO" or not want to do them because I know others could only dream of having these opportunities! So I think I would just like to accomplish even more still than what I already have especially on a more major level!
VALIDATED: What can people expect from a DJ Flipcyide performance?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: A lot of scratching, dope 90's Hip Hop, Underground Hip Hop, and lots of Wu-Tang music!
VALIDATED: You were ranked one of the top 100 mixtape DJs in the world from 2013 to 2015. How did that help to get your name out to more people?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: I was actually ranked number 1 for 2017 for the All-Star Mixtape Awards and the 2016 Mixtape DJ of the Year. Those both helped get my name out there big time and I'm thankful for winning both of those awards! Of course, most people want to work with an award-winning DJ so it helps business and just something nice to have on a DJ resume'!
VALIDATED: What can you say are the similarities between being a scratch DJ and a mixtape DJ?
DJ FLIPCYIDE: Discipline and wanting to make sure you always do your best in both. When I do scratches on songs or a mixtape, I always want them to be my best work so I treat them both equally important!