Sin (rapper)

Filip Filipi (Serbian Cyrillic: Филип Филипи) (born June 5 1986 in Belgrade, Serbia, then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), better known by his stage names Sin or Sin Sizzerb is a Serbian rapper and the creator of The Cartel Argentina clothing line. Sin is also an active business man with interests in several business including Sizzerb Productions, Films, Clothing, International and 4am Graphics. Sin took his name from the 1998 film Belly in which Nas plays a character by the name of Sincere. Sin spent his childhood years growing up in the small Croatian Village Korenica, Lika until the age of eight when he immigrated to Canada to escape the civil war in Yugoslavia. Sin is the nephew of Simo Dubajić who was a hardline leader of the initial Serb movement in Croatia. As a youngster Sin was an excellent athlete who received offers from universities to play basketball before an injury sidelined his basketball dreams and he decided to focus his drive, ambition and talent on a rap career instead. Sin stepped out into the rap scene in 2005 with the launch of 1389 records and Sizzerb movement and subsequently signed Crood, Cade, Folk & Stress as well as producers Legend, Da Zombeez, Lokken Load and Karafa. Sin first major concert was when he opened up for The Game in May 2006 at Legends in Vancouver, Canada. Sin also has a strong interest in both US and Serbian politics, he publicly backed Sarah Palin to win the 2008 United States presidential election and the United States presidential election, 2012 and has created controversy because of his anti Boris Tadić views, this lead to a stand off with Serbia's B92 journalist and TV host Olja Bećković who attempted to have Sin's websites shut down.

Mixtape Scene

Sin's debut mixtape was DJ Vlad Presents: Sizzerb Mixtape Vol. 1 which sold over 12,000 units independently in 2005 and is still the highest selling Canadian mixtape ever. Sin's first mixtape single "Thanks To Me" featuring Cam'ron, Jay Bezel & Tom Gist of The Diplomats, as well as the Purple City remix of the same song got heavy radio play on Raw XM Satellite Radio throughout USA and Canada in late 2005 and early 2006. In July 2005 Sin launched 1389 records which is named after the year 1389 the year the Battle of Kosovo took place, an important event in the History of Serbia. He then featured in Sizzerb Fam - Sizzerb Mixtape Vol. 0: Animal Planet before releasing his second mixtape Big Mike, Nu Jerzey Devil & Watsman Present: Sizzerb Mixtape Vol. 2 - Sin's City which moved 9000 copies in four months after its March 2006 release. The same month he released a separate Serbian - English mixtape collaboration with the Belgrade rap group V.I.P. entitled 1389 Records/Bassivity Music Present: Rane Mixtape Vol. 1. The Mixtape was highly successful despite a lack of promotion and debuted at #19 on Serbian domestic charts and was featured in the Serbian Magazine Huper. Sin's next mixtape was Team Invasion, DJ Kurupt & DJ Scream Present: Sizzerb Mixtape Vol. 3 - Opium Garden released in October 2006, this was his 4th mixtape and features Dipset, Young Jeezy, Nas and others. Sin pre-sold about 4,000 copies of Opium Garden. In 2008, Sin released 2 major mixtapes The Supreme Poet hosted by American rapper Gucci Mane, featuring Cam'Ron, Lil' Wayne, Young Jeezy and others. Sin's first single from the album, "Boom", a collaboration with T-Pain was featured on the season finale of the Fox Broadcasting Company's number one rating show So You Think You Can Dance (Season 4) for the top 20 Group dance. The show was viewed by over 13 million people in the USA and Canada as well as 1 million in Australia. At the same time, Sin released Vijetnam, a mixtape which includes collobrations with Serbian rappers and is hosted by Serbian National Basketball Association player Aleksandar Pavlović. The album speaks of the injust of an independent Kosovo and struggles of the Serbian people. After the success of these mixtapes Sin was offered deals from American labels So So Def and Rap-A-Lot but rejected the offers. Sin claims they did not match his rapping-style, as they are southern rap labels. Throughout his career Sin has managed to sell over 50,000 mixtape's independently. Sin also featured on many major mixtapes in New York including Big Mike, Nu Jerzey Devil, The Diplomats and The Black Wall Street Records. Sin is now working on his last mixtape If He's King Then I'm God with Lil Wayne which is expected to be finished in early 2009. These mixtapes serve as the basis for Sin's evolution from an underground hip hop star to a professional career in the mainstream with two studio albums expected in mid 2009.

Interviews/Beefs

Sin has done many interviews for internet and magazines and confirmed that he was considering signing with So So Def or Diplomat Records in interviews with AllHipHop.com, as well as Objektiv magazine. He also appeared on the front cover of кишобран (kišobran), Vesti and in Huper. The interviews also created controversy and friction with Albanians because of Sin's political stance on Kosovo. During an Australian interview with Stadium Music, Sin was quoted as saying " I'd like to give one big shout out to Steve Irwin the muthafuckin crocodile hunter RIP! We don't like pigeons and we don't like stingrays," referring to his dislike of Albanians and the tragic death of Steve Irwin. Sin did a major interview with the Fox News Channel discussing the attempted extradition of Miladin Kovačević. In the interview Sin stated that Senator Chuck Schumer is financially supported by the Albanian American Civic Alliance and that he is anti-Serbian. Sin went on to say that America was implementing double standards by extraditing Kovačević, Sin offered to personally bring Kovačević back to USA as soon as America extradited all of their citizens who had committed a crime in a foreign country starting with everyone involved with the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In an interview with Hugo Lunny of MVRemix Sin joked that he would like to knock the [...] out of comedian Bill Maher because of his anti-religion crusade. Sin is also actively involved in philanthropy within his community including the successful Save Viktor campaign that was aimed at raising funds for the transfer of 5 year old stage 4 Neuroblastoma cancer patient Viktor Tomasević from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Münster, Germany for treatment. During Sins final ever Serbian interview with rap.96.co.yu, Sin discussed a number of beefs with different Balkan rappers, he discussed Relja from V.I.P, saying that although he still respected V.I.P he would rather jump of a bridge than do another album with them. He then went on to diss Dada, calling him a krofna (muffin) and a lazy, imcapable two faced [...] who deserved a wedgie. Next in line was Timex, who had tried to get 1500 euros for his version of Air Max which didn't even make the final cut of Vijetnam, this annoyed Sin because he was the person responsible for having Timex signed to Bassivity Music. The last beef Sin discussed was with Bad Copy and Škabo. These rappers angered Sin because they tried to ban Vijetnam, because they didn't think Sin had a right to discuss Kosovo. Sin responded to this criticism by saying that he'll say whatever the he pleases, and also calling Bad Copy artist Rašid Kurtanović a confused monkey who he was going to make eat a pork shish kebab.

Discography

Albums

• If He's King Then I'm God (2009)
• Vavilon (2009)

Mixtapes

• Sizzerb Volume 1 (DJ Vlad) (2005)
• Sizzerb Volume 2 - Sin's City (Big Mike, Nu Jerzey Devil and Watsman) (2006)
• Rane Volume 1 (Collaboration with VIP) (2006)
• Sizzerb Volume 3 - Opium Garden (DJ Kurupt, Team Invasion and DJ Scream) (2006)
• Pisces (2008)
• The Supreme Poet (Hosted by Gucci Mane) (2008)
• Vijetnam (Hosted By Sasa Pavlovic) (2008)
• Rane Volume 2 (2008)
• Rane Volume 3 (2009)

Compilation

• Sizzerb Presents: Supreme Hits(2005-2008) (Hosted by Sin and Supreme) (2008)
• Sizzerb Presents: Supreme Instrumentals(2005-2008) (Hosted by Sin and Supreme) (2008)
• Sizzerb Presents: Supreme Unreleases(2005-2008) (Hosted by Sin and Supreme) (2008)