Chillin with FLIK
Are you one of those who’s constantly on the lookout for something new and interesting to bop while you’re driving around town or chillin with the gang? If so, you totally get that feeling of discovering a hot new song by accident. That’s just what happened to me when I stumbled upon ‘Demon’ by FLIK, an RnB-infuenced hip-hop group from Florida that’s just breaking on the scene.
‘Demon’ gets you grooving right from the start, with its drippy beats, kind of like ‘Bad and Boujee’ (Migos) meets ‘Tomorrow’ (Ferry Corsten). The steamy, yet surprisingly profound lyrics are just right for a close encounter: “p*#$y makes the world go round”… can’t argue with that. The track hit so right that I found myself playing it on loop.
Then I had to go check out what else FLIK had to offer, which is how I came across ‘Meet in Da City’, another dank track that somehow reminded me of ‘Hard Piano’ by Pusha T. Of course, while Pusha was dissing women in general, this track celebrates female feistiness (“I don’t need no hands to touch you, I got different plans”), but juxtaposes this with a darker, menacing vibe (“I told her meet in da city, flooded with killers so I got it with me”). Overall, the track creates a sense of urgency, of living on the edge.
Having acquired new favs, of course, it was time to learn more about the artists behind these tracks, so I got busy DM-ing. Shortly, I had the privilege of chatting with the artistic trio of Mighti Mystic, Derozeee and Derose (birth names Jelani Desrosiers, Bryan Michele Desrosiers and Dahrio Bicknell respectively) who make up FLIK. Unsurprisingly, the artists were related: siblings Mighti Mystic (henceforth MM) and Derozeee, and cousin Derose. What was surprising (and impressive!) was finding out that all three are multi-talented. MM and Derozeee are painters, with MM additionally being a dancer and Derozeee an athlete. Derose turns out to be an actor besides being a musical all-rounder, a skilled violinist and drummer as well as a rapper.
Getting to know the artists better meant learning more about their musical journey. As teens, these artists were influenced by diverse artists in mainstream hip-hop, rap as well as RnB, including The Black Eyed Peas, Migos and G Herbo. Derozeee, in particular, recollects being swept away by the power of G Herbo’s freestyling rap as a 20 year-old.
Drawn together by their common musicality, the three decided to form a group in 2021, after they had been creating songs individually for years. The trio’s different musical skills and profiles blend and complement each other well. This is in evidence in both their releases to date; Mighti Mystic’s sultry, RnB style vocals set off the gritty rap vocals of Derozeee, both standing out nicely against the hard-hitting, trap-inspired background tracks composed by Derose. When asked about their song lyrics, FLIK are quick to clarify that they have all contributed to creating those, which explains the interestingly different elements of both tracks.
What about the choice of name for their group — “FLIK”? The artists have an interesting story about that. They share how they’ve all been making music videos for a while, and this thought was at the forefront when deciding on a name. But somehow, “flick” failed to click, and when one of them suggested dropping the ‘c’, the name ‘FLIK’ connected instantly with them all.
Now that they’re off to a great start, I want to know what comes next… a video drop, they explain, and their excitement is both palpable and contagious. The group plans on dropping a dope music video to showcase their single, ‘Meet in Da City’ in mid-January. Like the rest of their rapidly growing fan-base, I’m eager for a sneak peek. When asked if there are any more tracks in the offing, the group hints at plenty more to come in 2023, although no details are public as yet.
With the first two tantalizing tracks, I know that fans are looking forward to more from this talented trio. FLIK — watch out for that name, because we’re going to be hearing a lot more about them in the months to come. Meanwhile, you can bump their sick music on Spotify, and tune in for their hot new video release on YouTube.
