Flipsyde

The Flipsyde ensemble from the Bay Area fuses rap with rock while threading political awareness and introspection throughout its sound, channeling the members’ varied origins into ambitious, revolutionary recordings. MC Piper, who performed as No the Piper during his Contra Costa College period, grew up with a Brazilian father and acquired fluency in Portuguese. Vocalist Steve Knight entered the world in Alabama and completed a stint in the U.S. Coast Guard. Guitarist Dave Lopez arrived in the United States after emigrating from Chile, and DJ D-Sharp had already built a reputation in the mixtape circuit through collaborations with Blackalicious and Lyrics Born prior to entering the group. Longtime acquaintances Piper and Knight encountered Lopez at an Oakland rehearsal studio in 2003; after Lopez listened to their unfinished track “Someday,” his input sparked an impromptu jam that evolved into a full band, which they named Flipsyde. D-Sharp became the next addition, and the resulting demo of “Someday” soon circulated among West Coast A&R representatives. Interscope Records extended a contract and issued the debut album We the People in July 2005.