Flipsyde

"What I thought was a dream, was as real as it seems" goes the refrain from Flipsyde's poignant hit "Happy Birthday" off the group's 2005 debut "We the People." And, that's the story of Flipsyde (Chantelle Paige/vocals, Piper/MC, Steve Knight/vocals & acoustic guitar and Dave Lopez/lead guitar) which started with a dream in the complicated streets of Oakland, California, where the grittiness of Richmond and the political awareness of Berkeley collide.

Lauded by The Washington Post as "the best hip hop album of the year," Flipsyde's "We the People" went on to sell a quarter of a million units world wide - embraced by audiences as far and wide as Japan and Germany where "Happy Birthday" became a top 3 hit. In the US, "Someday," another powerful song about coping with, if not rising above this world's adversities, became the theme song to NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics. It was an adventure for Flipsyde who embarked on a steady touring schedule of two years opening for the likes of Snoop Dogg, The Game and The Black Eyes Peas.

"We learned a lot from those concert tours," says Piper, Flipsyde's razor-sharp MC. "Those artists have a personality and strong point-of-view in what they do. They all come from different places artistically, but they do their thing with passion. That's what we always try to do and it was inspiring to see them finding success following their heart."

It was during that period that a serendipitous event transpired to shape Flipsyde's next musical chapter. Multi-talented artist/writer/producer/label head Akon came across Flipsyde's "Happy Birthday" video on German TV during a European tour of his own. "The song got me right away." remembers Akon. "I knew right then I wanted to work with Flipsyde."

Just weeks later, Flipsyde found themselves in an Atlanta studio with Akon. They'd gone in to try cutting one song and ended up recording three. It was a perfect musical connection and Akon invited the group to release their next album via his Kon Live label through Flipsyde's Cherrytree Records (both sister companies within the Interscope label group).

But that wasn't the only encounter that was to shape Flipsyde's immediate future: Through a mutual Bay Area acquaintance, the Flipsyde boys met Chantelle Paige, a dynamic young writer, singer and dancer.

"I was a big fan of Flipsyde," recalls Chantelle. I thought they were completely original because their lyrics and messages were on point but their beats still knocked hard."

"We introduced Chantelle to Akon and he flipped out," laughs Steve Knight, Flipsyde's raspy-voiced singer and acoustic guitarist. It was a0D powerful musical bond with Chantelle and 'Kon felt it straight away. We all ended up writing the new album togeth er and pushing the music into new areas."

Akon (Gwen Stefani's "Sweet Escape," Akon/Eminem "Smack That" and Akon "Right Now (Na, Na)) handles primary production duties for State of Survival. Other major production comes courtesy of Fingaaz, (Down's "Lean Like a Cholo"), Red One (Lady Gaga's "Just Dance") and Martin Kierszenbaum (Flipsyde's "Happy Birthday"). State of Survival's songs touch every emotion. From the club-bangin' energy of "Spinnin'," "Green Light" and "Toss It Up" to the feel-good bounce of "High on Life" and "Friends" - from the uplifting "This Is the Life" to the romantic "If You Really Love Me" - from the urgency and vim of "Soldier" to the satire and wit of "Welcome to Hollywood," State of Survival is a journey through various moods and hard-hitting tracks.

In State of Survival, Flipsyde continues to follow their instincts and explore new musical ground. "Our goal is to reach as many people in the world as possible," Knight summarizes. "This album is a snapshot and photo of our last two years. It's inspired by so many things. We are a combination of the way things are in our world and the way things should be. That's why the name Flipsyde is fitting. That's what our sound and lyrics are."