A FLIPPA OWN ROBINSON BALLROOM?

Among the highlights of Sting 2012 was deejay Flippa Maffia scattering thousands of dollars into the crowd during an entertaining set. It has become the norm for the flamboyant entertainer, known in dancehall circles as the ‘Flossin king’. Theatrics aside, Flippa Maffia says he is pleased with his performance at the annual Boxing Day show. “For the past three years I have grown a lot in terms of my music and my spiritual being. No longer am I offended and affected by negative criticism as I have come to understand that people are always going to talk,” he said. After doing the songs Dem Ya and Real to The People, Flippa Maffia popped a bottle of champagne, poured it on the stage then dipped in his suitcase for a handful of cash and hurled it into the crowd. “It is not about the hype but if one is singing about a particular lifestyle his/her actions should portray that,” said Flippa Maffia, who insists he does not ‘throw cash’ in order to ‘buy’ fans. “I have been throwing cash for years so if that was the case there wouldn’t be a need to be doing it now. There are some entertainers who will ‘floss’ their money, take drugs among other things. I just do whatever makes me happy,” he said. But what is the source behind all this money? He says he is not involved in illegal activity, pointing out that he owns a banquet hall and nightclub in Philadelphia where he has lived for some time. Maffia grew up in Waterhouse, and attended Norman Manley High school in Kingston. Some of his better known songs are Unfinished House, Star ah Star and his most recent, Hear mi Hear.