Lil Flip – I Need Mine $$

“Lil’ Flip is wack!” I bet that’s
what a lot of you are saying out there. I don’t blame you. After all, he told a
girl he’d treat her like milk and do nothing but spoil her. This is the same
dude who pranced around in a leprechaun outfit to show us how he balls.
Preconceived notions of his corniness are to be expected.

However, while making a name for himself as a hardworking underground act, Flip‘s also been known to spit with
some versatility on his albums. “My whole
album ain’t about ice,” he rhymed. So, you must know this before stepping
into I Need Mine $$. Despite the
predetermined opinions and his idiotic nickname, Flipperachi isn’t all that corny.

While corniness is present, he manages to redeem himself on a few occasions.
“Single Mother” and the Lyfe Jennings-assisted
“Ghetto Mentality” are two shining examples of how he can flip the script (no
pun indented), on us and become somewhat heartfelt. “Find My Way” (which
features Robin Andre) roams away
from the rest of the album production wise, which is effective in showing us
another musical side of Flip. Even
he recognizes the lack of balance in the industry with this track; “A lot of cats sellin’ they soul for radio
play/That’s why we need more rappers like Common
and Kanye.”

Later, he flexes his conceptual rhymes with “Hall of Fame Graveyard,” where
he pays respects to fallen artists like James
Brown and 2Pac. Other tracks
such as “Real Hip-Hop,” “I Just Wanna Tell U,” and “We Gon’ Make It Out the
Hood” provide more proof that Flipper
ain’t a one dimensional spitter. But a few tracks don’t detract from the fact
that some of this is crap. Here, he often brags about his freestyling skills. “I’m freestylin’. I’m not writin’,” he
brags. Well, after listening to some of these lines, it makes you wish he
actually did write. 

“Hundred dollar chips. Let’s gamble
ma.

And if the crowd get thick? Let’s scramble, ma.“

“Go get your tubes tied. Cause you a
bitch boy.

A hundred grand, and now you think you rich, boy?“

Okay, rhyming ma with ma and boy with boy is one level of weak lyrical
ability but a couple of lines later he makes a complete fool of himself.

“…By the way, my new chick go to Penn
State.

Okay, I’m lying, but don’t that shit go with the hook?“

No. Actually, that has nothing to do with the hook or the song. One minute
you are telling a man he is a woman and the next you want to share your
girlfriend’s current school? Then, you mention what you purchase for her, only
to say that it is all a lie? That is quite frankly, one of the dumbest things I
have ever heard on a track. For more idiocy, he uses money to deter those
who criticize his weak flow;

“They be like Flip, you got a lazy flow.’ Oh well…I make crazy dough.”

Well, let “crazy dough” explain the overload of mundane production. Aside
from Mannie Fresh‘s input and a few
other cuts, this album gets stale. Are you ready for the rundown? “I Get Money,”
“Fly Boy,” “Bust a Clip,” “Starched and Clean,” “White Cup,” “I’m a Baller,”
and “You’z a Trick” all utilize a similar beat and a hook which basically
scratches one line over and over and over and over. Feel the monotony? Other
tracks sound like watered down cookie cutter beats (“Flippin'” featuring Mya) or forced efforts (“Take You There”
featuring Nate Dogg) and many are
interchangeable beats.

Overall, Flip tip-toes through an
album full throw away tracks. With versatility being his key selling point, he
does hit many different angles. But while excelling on a few cuts, he falls
hopelessly flat on more. This is unfortunate because the falls overshadow his
highpoints throughout I Need Mine $$.
Dropping a double disc is never easy, but after listening to I Need Mine $$, some folks may need
their money back.