LOS ANGELES (BMG/ www.bmgmusicsearch.com) - Scott Francis (President, BMG Songs North America) announced today the signing of "underground rap king"
Lil' Flip to a worldwide music publishing agreement. Lil' Flip's latest release, the double CD "
U Gotta Feel Me" (Columbia Records), debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B Albums chart in the spring. It was recently certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies.
"Sunshine" (featuring Lea), the latest single from "U Gotta Feel Me," is storming up Billboard's Hot 100 Singles and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts - for the week ending August 14, 2004, "Sunshine" was the Greatest Gainer/Airplay single, jumping to number five on both charts. Flip scored a top 10 R&B/Hip-Hop single in May with the album's lead track "Game Over."
"BMG Songs is beyond excited about Flip becoming a part of our family," said Derrick Thompson, Vice President, Urban A&R, BMG Songs. "This deal is the equivalent of acquiring Allen Iverson for our team - it's a win-win situation."
Lil' Flip commented: "Coming from an independent label environment, I was reluctant to do a publishing deal, but my manager/attorney, Sandy Lal, Kingpin Entertainment, and I decided that BMG understood us the best and is the right place for me."
"After carefully evaluating all the possibilities on the table, we felt that BMG made the most sense and most importantly saw our big picture," said Flip's manager/lawyer Sandy Lal. "We are pleased to be a part of the BMG family and help strengthen their presence in the south."
Born Wesley Weston in Houston, Lil' Flip joined the late DJ Screw's elite rhyme outfit, the Screwed Up Click, before releasing the independent album, "Hustlaz Stackin' Endz." Flip's next release was "The Leprechaun," which scanned more than 100,000 units on the strength of the hit single "I Can Do That." After releasing 10 consecutive volumes of his underground "chopped and screwed" mix tapes, Flip inked a major record deal with Columbia.
His major label debut, "Undaground Legend," was released in 2002, peaking on the Billboard 200 chart at number 12 and on the Hip-Hop/R&B chart at number four. Flip also helped propel David Banner's "Mississippi The Album" (Universal) to gold with his guest stints on several tracks including the hit "Like A Pimp."
BMG Songs is the North American division of BMG Music Publishing Worldwide. With wholly-owned offices in 31 countries around the world, BMG Music Publishing (www.bmgmusicsearch.com) is the world's third largest music publisher. BMG Music Publishing is a unit of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's leading media companies.
