Filip Filipi, successful rap artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist, previously known as Sin, has far exceeded any expectations of him since moving to Canada from Serbia in 1994. CEO and founder of his own independent label, Sizzerb Inc., selling over 50,000 units, Filipi’s fresh, authentic approach to music, moulding his beats around the heart of the music and lyrics are what have distinguished him from his peers, using real life experiences, genuine passion and an artful approach to expression to connect to people on a deeper level.
An aspiring basketball player, Filipi was scouted for University teams but after a major injury was forced to redirect his drive and ambition into a more creative medium. Confidence, an amassing fan-base and sheer determination resulted in the frequent consecutive release of compilation CD’s, this has made Filip the top selling mixtape artist in Canada. His debut, Sizzerb Volume I, presented by DJ Vlad was also featured as a ‘Top Pick’ on MTV Mixtape Mondays. Filip also grasped the attention of 13.7 million households internationally when his single “Boom”, from album The Supreme Poet, was used for a dance routine on the season finale of the number one rated Fox show “So You Think You Can Dance”.
Currently filtering through major record deals open to him, Filip maintains his integrity and authenticity, vowing to only sign with the label who will catapult him on his own terms. The twenty-three year old has more recently released the highly anticipated mixtape project If He’s King Then I’m God. These will serve as the basis for Filip’s evolution from an underground hit to a professional career in the mainstream.
For more info and music from Filip Filipi check him out on his myspace, youtube and facebook
Check out his song "Boom" on "So You Think You Can Dance" and our interview with him below.
Interview questions written by mindyourmind Social Media and Business Developer, Brian
mym Brian: 1. For those of our audience, who don’t know you; tell us about yourself in a few sentences?
Filip Filipi: My name is Filip Filipi and I'm a rapper, producer and songwriter. I started doing music about 5 and half years ago and I have released 13 mixtapes and I'm currently working on my debut album. I was born in Serbia but have spent the majority of my life living in Canada. I also think Colonel Gaddafi has an impeccable sense of style.
mym Brian: 2. You spent your childhood years growing up in a small village in the former Yugoslavia, until I think you were eight, and then you immigrated to Canada to escape the civil war happening. Can you tell us anything that sticks out from that experience? -- How at that time did you feel and was it difficult to understand why there was war and the importance of leaving?
Filip Filipi: The first causalities of the war actually took place in my town. I remember it very well. It was winter and snowy. My father and I were taking our neighbour’s dog for a walk, I remember it was a German Shepard, when we heard automatic gunfire nearby and immediately headed back. I remember being mad we had to go home so soon. We lived in a rural area so I was pretty much around guns my whole life but that memory stands out to me because it was the first time I witnessed guns used to inflict death.
I was much too young to understand the complexities of why the war was happening and my mom's side of the family all lived in Belgrade so it wasn't that unusual to leave and go stay with them. However, right before we left I remember the atmosphere was a lot more tense and there was columns of tanks and armoured vehicles all over our town and surrounding areas so I could sense a certain rush to get out.
mym Brian: 3. You were an excellent athlete, who received multiple offers from universities to play basketball, but an injury sidelined those dreams -- how hard was that and how, if at all, was it instrumental in your success in music?
Filip Filipi: To be fair even before the injury I had an uphill battle to make a good university team because I wasn't allowed to play during my senior year due to some behavioural issues. The year before that I developed some weird allergic reaction the morning of the BC provincial team tryouts. The reason it was weird was the medicine which I was allergic to I started taking 3 weeks before and I woke up that morning and couldn't walk. The final injury, which was me breaking my thumb throwing a snowball, was the final straw. Even though I loved basketball my whole life, I realized God, for some reason didn't want me to pursue it. For everyone reading this if you ever break your thumb throwing a snowball, quit whatever you're doing!
It was really hard. I remember there was a year I didn't know what to do. I have a really obsessive personality so basketball was everything I did. When I finally got into music it filled that vacuum and made me productive again. I applied that same obsessiveness to music so the way I see it now is it was all meant to happen.
mym Brian: 4. When it comes to mix tape artists, there tends to be difficulty in branching out and reaching commercial success, why do you think you’ve be able to reach such great heights with yours?
Filip Filipi: I don't think I've reached any great heights, but the success I did manage to achieve I'd probably credit to the obsessive work ethic. For example, out of the 200 plus songs I made so far about 20 were quality and managed to generate some buzz. So for me it's much more to do with persistence than some great talent. I've also had some big collaborations and placements on some major TV shows like SYTYCD. I market pretty hard and have the luxury of having a English and Serbian speaking fan base. To be honest I think I'm much better at marketing than rapping and I'm exploring that as a alternate career path
mym Brian: 5. You’ve worked and released tracks like “Camouflaged” (feat. Lil Wayne), “I Gotchya” (feat. Cupid) and “Boom” with T-Pain, these are all heavy hitting tracks, tell me how important it is for you to collaborate with other artists and why do you do it?
Filip Filipi: It's important because it's absolutely instrumental in promotion which leads to generating income. I'll give you an example, 'Boom' which you mentioned, I personally hate. However it has something like 5 million views on YouTube. While 'Mandolins Cry' and 'Blood in My Eyes' which I put my heart and soul into have about 150,000 combined. Why? Because they don't feature a household name. Some of the people I have collaborated with I truly am a fan of, like Collie Buddz and Opera Steve for example. Some other artists like Mickey Avalon, who I worked with on another STYCD track, I don't listen to, to put it kindly.
mym Brian: 6. One of my personal favourite tracks is “Mandolins Cry”, for me one of your deepest tracks in which you rhyme in both English and your own Serbian language. Can you tell us about this track, its importance and the message behind it?
Filip Filipi: Mandolins Cry is very dear to me because it's dedicated to my grandmother who passed in 2007. I did the chorus in Serbian and so far it's the only song I sang in Serbian on. The message behind it is about me missing my grandma but because she's from Kosovo and during that time the Albanians were cleansing the remaining Serbs from there, I touch on some political issues as well. Both my grandmothers are from places where Serbs were cleansed from, and to me in some way they embody the struggle. It's my favourite song to date and I always put my favourite song as number 5 on my CDs and that song will be number 5 on my album.
mym Brian: 7. You’ve never been one to hide your political views - 3 years ago Kosovo's government “unilaterally” declared independence from Serbia ,why is this an important issue for you and do you think the general public should pay more attention to what happens like this throughout the globe?
Filip Filipi: The Kosovo issue is important to me because it's a matter of naked injustice. During the '90s the West supported Croatia as they expelled the entire Serbian population from the Krajina region, where they were the majority. A few years later they enabled the Albanian population in Kosovo to declare independence and one of their justifications was that they were the majority. This is a flagrant double standard to serve their own self interests. America has since built its biggest military base in Europe in Kosovo.
The humanitarian excuse is complete bullshit. Serbs did participate in extrajudicial killings in retaliation to attacks by Albanian narco-insurgents and I don't condone this. In fact, I'd personally shoot any Serb who killed or raped innocent civilians. However, armed separatists who were trying to rip our heartland away from us to secure their heroin transit routes are a legitimate target. If we used this same logic of rewarding land to those who suffered than surely there wouldn't be enough planets in our solar system to compensate the Serbian nation for the loses it has endured throughout its entire blood soaked existence.
The general public couldn't find the Pacific Ocean on the map, much less Kosovo. However, the people in power who are dictating foreign policy are much better informed. Besides knowing where Kosovo is, they also know about the $4 billion Trepca mine complex there. They know about the geopolitical importance of installing a military base on Russia's doorstep. They know about the ideological importance of destroying the remnants of Yugoslavia, which was a successful socialist state.
mym Brian: 8. Your career has been filled with many ups and downs – from fleeing from war, crushed star athlete dreams to musician. What gives you strength not to stop and overcome life’s’ adversities?
Filip Filipi: I always remember no matter how bad things get, time will pass and then they will get better. No matter how hopeless a situation or a period in your life may seem the bright of day will eventually come. I believe every experience and ordeal has its own purpose and makes you wiser and stronger. It also helps prepare you for a situation which will come at some point in your future, so when it does occur you will handle it better.
mym Brian: 9. What advice would you give to youth if they are struggling through a tough time?
Filip Filipi: It will pass and make you a better person when it's over. Everything during your youth is magnified and seems much worse than it really is. You need to stay true to your values and be thankful for the positive things in your life. No matter how bad it gets never forget there is always someone who had it worse and overcame, and if they can do it so can you. So turn that frown upside down and stop being a muffin!
mym Brian: 10. What motivates you and gives you hope?
Filip Filipi: I'm fortunate that I have a really supportive family and making them proud is a major source of motivation. I strongly believe in God and I find a lot of my hope in Him. I believe I was given some natural ability and luck in my life and I feel I would let down my family if I didn't try my best to live up to my potential. I want to clarify that when I say potential I don't mean potential to be rich or famous, but rather to be a good person and help others and stand up for what I know is right even when everyone might not agree. Those characteristics to me compose a complete human being.
mym Brian: 11. Anything else you want us to know about Filip Filipi?
Filip Filipi: I have Aviophobia. My favourite food is spaghetti. My favourite color is olive green. My favourite animal is a bear and if you wish to keep up with my bizarre rants and sometimes enjoyable music you may keep up with me on FilipFilipi.com, Facebook.com/filipfilipi and Twitter.com/filipfilipi
