Flippa Mafia Says Corporate Jamaica Snubbed Him When He Wanted Character References Before Sentencing

Having spent the majority of his career giving back in cash and kind, Dancehall deejay Flippa Mafia was disappointed that corporate brands cut him off after he was found guilty of operating an international drug trafficking and money-laundering ring in 2016.

Dancehall’s flossing boss said his eyes were open to the dog-eat-dog world of business when he needed character reference letters in his bid for fair sentencing. 

“You see some of the people dem weh mi give handout to, carry all $100,000 and add, computer, laptop, dem thing deh go give?” he raised in a recent interview on Let’s Be Honest. “We donate to whole heap a school and whole heap a dem thing deh. You see when I was in my situation, for instance, me go a trial, lose, time fi get sentence. You know when you a get sentence, you want things like character letters and stuff like that, so, mi send go mek two link to two people and that’s why me waan the young artists dem fi tek note a this. When corporate people or when certain people come to you bout dem waan unno come do a promotional thing, mek dem pay unno because if anything ever go negative and unno need even just a letter from them, unno not getting it. And dem do that to me – dem snub me…”

Though he reiterated that he holds no grudges towards any entity and that no one is obligated to him, Flippa Mafia highlighted some hypocrisy in the one-sided nature of his partnerships with corporate brands. 

“When mi fi get sentence, dem just waan yuh fi seh how mi used to be inna mi community, if mi ever contribute to the community. Dem seh dem can’t do it,” he recalled. “Mi contact one famous radio station a Jamaica because inna mi trial, like one commercial did do and mi a seh, ‘A my commercial that’, and dem seh, ‘Yow, mi cya do it’. But yet still, when dem a keep dem road party and wadever, dem staff party, Flippa come through and nice it up fi dem. But when dem fi give me a strength, dem can’t do it, dem nuh waan put them name.”

He added, “Whatever dem a seh bout me, did a seh long time. Unno know seh dem seh mi a drugs dealer…unno never snub me. So why now when Flippa inna trouble and need some help, it’s not like mi did kill somebody…”

The 44-year-old, whose given name is Andrew Davis, was released from the East Jersey State Prison in October after serving a little over nine years of a 25-year sentence. While incarcerated, the Unfinished House deejay completed his high school diploma and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education, and also sharpened his culinary skills, paving the way for a seafood restaurant he’s looking to open in Philadelphia.

He’s out on parole until 2030 and is already producing his life story in an upcoming documentary. 

Flippa Mafia and two of his brothers, alongside his then-girlfriend, were all indicted in a 2013 investigation led by the New Jersey State Police, the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Division of Criminal Justice. Detectives seized over 26 kilos of cocaine (estimated at US$910,000), two firearms and over US$500,000 in the investigation which spanned Jamaica and the United States.

The Dem Yah entertainer has maintained his innocence, adding he was in Jamaica from 2012 and had no involvement in the activities leading up to the charges.

“I went back trying to help my family and what happen, happen, and mi nuh regret it because guess what? It could have been worse,” he said. “You know how much people dead since mi get locked up?… Prison save me and mi is a changed man and mi wiser than how mi used to be before and mi proud of myself.”

The father of nine also shouted out his kids for checking on him throughout his stint and making him proud, and further toasted to his seven baby mothers for holding down the fort. Having invested in real estate, he was also able to cover his financial responsibilities while behind bars. 

“Mi nah fi prove nothing. Mi do it already and mi nuh haffi do it again. Mi just a live mi life, enjoy myself, mek the young youth dem get fi know who mi is, teach dem weh mi know and help dem fi nuh mek the same mistake dem weh me mek – but me love life and mi nah go stop floss. Mi nah go stop have fun.”