Flipp Dinero's Voice Is Raspy, But He Doesn't Need Auto-Tune — Unless He's With T-Pain

Flipp Dinero’s breakout hit “Leave Me Alone” was one of the greatest rap songs of 2018, yet by talking to him, you’d assume that it was just another step en route to reaching the genre's upper echelon. The Brooklyn rapper’s sound is unmistakable. His vocal chords sound like they’re being singed by a twisted dominatrix. However as harsh as it sounds, it’s all by design — and authentic also. It’s why “Leave Me Alone” peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 still keeps it up and continues to get famed playlist placement.


These are bragging words for any artist, however in conversation, Dinero is happy nevertheless humble. This success – the lights, the glamour, the possibilities – isn’t the product of overnight work. “I put out three assignments prior to that song,” he says over the phone. “It wasn’t the initial to get millions of views either. I’m just glad to be at this point in my career.”


Just two months immediately after “Leave Me Alone”’s September release, it went gold. A month soon after that, it went platinum. It made Apple Music's The A List: Hip Hop playlist and Spotify's well known RapCaviar playlist. Urban rap radio stations played the song over and over. All of this introduced the world to Dinero, a rapper whose low eyes and wide, mischievous grin could give off the appearance of arrogance. In conversation, although, he doesn’t just tell the world how grounded he is — he shows it. “I thank my mother and father, my family member and the people that surround me – God, also,” he says about how he remains this relaxed. “I read a lot, I read my Bible faithfully. This cooperates with the me stay grounded and keeps me from getting ahead of myself, contributing to my personality as an individual.”


His latest song, “Feelin Like,” released in December, is a little bit far less colorful than “Leave Me Alone,” choosing to embrace the sanctity of a moment as a substitute opposed to pushing away a lover’s embrace. He practically moans on the chorus with an everlasting cry of “ooh” that extends through harsh 808s and thunderous claps, before adding, “Feelin’ like I fucked up.” You could tell that his eyes are closed while singing it, his head to the sky, arms outstretched with a half-glazed smile on his face. “I was just in the studio having a good time, just freestyling,” he says of the song’s creation. “The only people in the studio were me and my brother Los, my engineer. We were just catching a vibe and I felt that if I put this onto wax, world could have the ability to relate to it.”


Both “Feelin Like” and “Leave Me Alone” are the sort of raspy, melodic gems that make Dinero such an interesting character. His voice sounds like he needs to cough, or like he may require a glass of milk along with a lozenge, however it isn’t grating, like someone who could be dismissed from a American Idol audition. In rap, that sort of imprecision normally doesn’t fly. It’s been Auto-Tune season for the last 14 years, since T-Pain’s mega R&B hit “I’m Sprung” reintroduced the sound to mainstream music.


“I’ve been suggested it several times yet I habitually turn it down,” he says as soon as asked about using it, soon after a brief pause. “The only time I allowed it was While I was working with my big brother, T-Pain.” He’s referring to “All I Want,” the group effort from T-Pain’s recently released album, 1UP. “He put Auto-Tune on my voice and that was just because I was working with the legend. That’s the one we kept immediately after cutting three or four tracks. Once we put the beat on, we just went instantly and made it in 20 minutes. We were laughing the full time.”


Once you get past the rasp, especially any time actually listening to how smooth and buttery his voice is on “All I Want” with the added technical coloring, it’s clear to be able to see that Dinero has the capability to really belt out moving melodies. “I love singing – it’s actually my first passion,” he admits with a slight chuckle. “In this new project that I have coming up, you’ll hear a lot of singing,” though he’s hesitant to reveal new specifics in back of “a lot of bangers, a lot of melodies.” There’s also going to be more than just singing. “You’re certainly going to hear the versatility because I'd like to emphasize the contradictions in my flows,” he says. “I don’t desire to be grounded or stagnant; this project is going to be a combination and melting pot.”


In that combination should be DJ Khaled, someone who the rapper calls his “brother” and has been in the studio with on more than one occasion. “I learned to grind and stay focused through him,” he says of their relationship.” “I’m a solitary who is really focused, nevertheless to be able to see someone like that, to stay up and have the energy not to sleep, it’s crazy. He was until, I kid you not, four or five in the morning. Watching him mention ‘Another one!’ Made me laugh and I was prepared to get back to work.”


DJ Khaled and T-Pain aren’t the only legends he’s been in the studio soaking up game from, as he puts it. And there really are a lot of lessons to take away. Nevertheless as soon as asked if he would give his old self opinions based on what he’s learned maneuvering by way of the industry, he hesitates. “I don’t have a lesson, I have a voice,” he says. It’s educated to not think in the past because while reveling in what should have been done, rap moves on. “Feelin Like” is the latest Dinero cut that will replace “Leave Me Alone.” It’s time concentrate on the present. “I just finished bumping 10 songs that I cut in the last two weeks,” he says. “My sound is my face and I have to show my face.”