Dancehall artiste Flippa Moggela, formerly Flippa Mafia, is addressing speculations that he is a police informant, otherwise known as a “snitch,” which might be the reason for Mavado’s rumored beef with him.
Over the weekend, Mavado appeared to snub Flippa at Alkaline’s New Rules in New York. Mavado was performing his hit single “Last Time” when Flippa ran out on the stage with a mic and sang along to the song. Moggela also approached the artiste for a hug, but Vado sidestepped him and scowled at him before ignoring him.
Flippa still tried to corner the artiste for a hug at the end of the performance, and Mavado tried to evade him unsuccessfully. Mavado and Flippa previously had a tiff where the artist, who was recently released from prison, directed a diss track at Mavado, saying, “some bwoy a hype over unfinished house.”
The latest incident also saw many speculating that Mavado was avoiding Flippa because he allegedly cooperated with authorities in the United States to get a lighter sentence. The artiste was sentenced to 25 years in jail but released last October after serving nine (9) years and 10 months.
While on the Let’s Be Honest podcast, Jaii Frais cut to the chase and asked the artiste about why he was not deported.
According to Flippa, the judge decided not to deport him. “People have to study the laws and know the rules and stuff like that. Flippa is very educated, me is not dunce or stupid. So, mi just do what mi have to do,” Flippa begins.
He added that he never ratted anyone out to get a lenient sentence. “Mi deh here and as mi say as long as mi do it and mi nuh throw nobody under the bus and me do it the right way,” he said and noted that he never “flipped.”
“Flippa went to trial. And mi hear dem a talk bout Flippa flip, and it hurt me cause who mi flip pon?” he asked. “Nobody never bigger than Flippa, ah Flippa dem want. When my family members get locked up, weh Flippa did deh? Jamaica,” he says.’
Flippa Mafia claims that he was never deported by the authorities, but he does reference him going illegally to the United States in a boat but being “paroled back in.”
“Everything unu can check, it’s public record,” says Flippa, and elsewhere in the interview, he claims that the reason he went on the boat was that “mi hide a million US.”
He added, “dem did think a joke, mi nuh even affi say nothing else.”
He seems to hint that he was not involved with the allegations by the authorities that he was a big-time drug trafficker as he was in Jamaica, but he admits that he was caught up because of his family members.
“Mi accept whatever happen and mi change and move forward. It could have been worse. They tried to give me life. Mi lose trial and me get less than what dem did a offer me. Dem offered me 27 [years jail] with 17 [years before parole],” the artiste said.
The artiste added that he worked hard to benefit from the system by staying out of trouble and even going back to school where he studied law while locked up, which all helped to support his application for parole.
“Prison humbled me, bring me closer to God and mi kids dem and make me know real from fake…mi get a second chance and mi ago make use of my second chance,” he said.
The artiste also revealed that while behind bars, he experienced racism as KKK members in the inmate population targeted him and beat him regularly. He later won a case where he was accused of fighting correctional officers, but the judge determined he was the victim and ruled that he was tortured per the Convention Against Torture.
The artiste was open as he talked about his early beginnings in music as he linked with Mr. Laing and made a name for himself at Sting.
However, when he went to the United States, he says, “when mi get to farrin, mi affi adjust to what mi see a gwan a farrin.”
As for his upbringing, Flippa Mafia seems to make a distinction between his criminal convictions and what he’s seen growing up in Waterhouse, noting that he chose not to be a “bad man” and gave back to the community to help people.
He seems to share regrets at his choices and asks younger artists to pay attention to his life, noting that he did a lot for others, including corporate sponsors who benefitted from his deejay skills but were nowhere to be seen when he requested a character letter to send to the judge.
“When mi fi get sentenced, them just want to know how mi used to be inna mi community, mi reach out say if me ever contribute to the community, dem say dem cya do it. Mi contact one famous radio station ah Jamaica…and dem say mi can’t do it and yet still when dem a keep them road party and whatever, dem staff party, Flippa pass through and nice it up but when mi fi get a strength dem cya do it,” Flippa said adding that younger artistes should not work for free and instead charge corporate clients because they do not care about them.
As for Mavado snubbing him, Flippa says he and the Gully Gad talked about the incident.
“Ah, no styling. Ah just misunderstanding,” he says, adding that “mi and the Gad good man. No love no last. Ah just one of the things dem,” he said, adding that Mavado said he was caught off guard and did not see him having a mic.
The dancehall artiste also reveals that he can’t be caught up with petty things because he is on parole until 2030, and he has to protect his freedom.
