One phone call can make all the difference in your career, as Eddie Neam, aka DJ Flip, knows. We’ve got to get it out in only two hours.’ I was covered in oil and dirt and was nowhere near ready to jump into a project like that, but I calmly said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ When I hung up, I took the fastest shower possible and got to work. I got it done, too. That phone call really helped push my career along.”
Eddie’s career in the music industry is full of memories like that one, so he’ll have plenty to reflect on as he steps out next month at the 2021 Billboard Latin Awards in Florida. “I’ll have fun walking the red carpet along with other attendees, but I think when I do, I’ll remember that phone call.”
While his career is strong today, It didn’t seem like it would go well at first. “Only ten years ago, I had no money. None!” Eddie relates. “All I knew was that the world was right in front of me, no one owed me anything, and I had to figure out how I was going to survive. I looked around at all the possible jobs I could have, and none of them seemed like a good fit for me. The only industry I had a passion for was music, and everyone was telling me that was a deadend. I decided to ignore them and go for it.”
Eddie got his start as a DJ. “All DJs love their equipment, and I am no different,” he shares. “When I did my first house party and had all that tech in front of me with all the song choices, that was Christmas! For the next three hours, I was choosing tracks, talking to the crowd, revving everyone up, and just having a blast. I had found my job.”
From house parties, Eddie progressed to working as a radio DJ. “I’ll never forget that,” he states. “When I began talking and realized I was talking to a huge audience across Florida, that was another milestone. I think every DJ gets revved up in moments like that.”
Eddie’s first big break would come when he broke PARTY NEXT DOOR’s “Come and See Me.” “That’s when I began getting recognition from music record promoters. That led to building relationships with them, and that’s all I needed – I finally had someone who could answer the thousand questions I had about getting into the industry and working with major artists.”
Eddie’s reputation for knowing how to produce a record without using a major label comes from the knowledge he gained in these early days. “I was learning the lingo along with what it takes to be a producer. I got started in making radio edits, which taught me a lot, too.”
His next big break came when he began making radio edits for Death Jam Recordings and Interscope Records. “That was just big, and once I cleaned Kanye West’s record, Death Jam told me to come visit LA whenever I could. You better believe I was packing my bags the moment I got off the phone with them! I didn’t care that I had to take the train because I couldn’t afford a plane ticket – I was going.”
Walking into Def Jam out in LA for the first time was phenomenal. “That is one cool place, and I was looking everywhere and listening to everything the whole time I was there,” Eddie relates. “While I didn’t get a job, I was more than happy to build a network around that environment. That led to being able to work with major artists, including Tyga, and I helped him to break his record Taste.”
Eddie would receive a plaque for helping Empire, another record label, to promote Tyga’s record. “That was it – the doors really opened. Doing that has meant more opportunities, including going to the Latin Billboard Awards.”
Today, Eddie often receives questions about how he broke into the music industry and became so in-demand. “I tell them I never stop learning. If you ever believe you know it all and are on top of everything, that’s when you’ll get knocked down. The music world is always changing, and you’ve got to keep your knowledge and skills sharp. That’s a big reason why I have a career I love – I stay ahead of trends and can use what I know to help other artists produce their music. I am definitely living my dream.”
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