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Miami’s been hot the last couple years with the success of Rick Ross, DJ
Khaled, and others. Carol City Cartel affiliate Flo Rida aims to be the next MC
makin waves in the Sunshine state. He checks in with Down-South.com to lay his
claim and bust down the doors to popular success.
You wanna introduce yourself?
This ya boy Flo Rida. I represent Poe Boy, Atlantic. Flo Rida. You know,
representin the state of Florida, 305, Dade County, Carol City all day.
 Give me a little background. How long you been rappin?
I been rappin for about like 12 years, 8 years strong. I started off with my
group called the Groundhoggz. It started off like in the 9th grade. Continuously
tried to go to college, but you know, I was more focused on rhyming, so I’d be
in and out of college. Took a trip out to California. Wasn’t successful. Ended
up on the street, you know. Came back to Miami, worked on a demo or whatever,
like that. Shopped it out to California, got a call from DeVante Swing. Flew out
there, was out there for a couple of years. Through the years, always was in
touch with Poe Boy. And basically, when things was poppin off for Ricky Ross, I
sent a demo down to Poe Boy, and there was people comin through the office,
hearin... basically they wanted to put a face to the music.. I came down just
for a visit and basically they wanted to take my stuff to Atlantic. Took it to
Atlantic, and it was a done deal. They liked from my music to what I look like,
and everything. So, we did the deal, and now I basically put out a single called
“Birthday” which I thought was gon’ do it. But then we came back with this new
record featuring T-Pain, and it’s buzzin real big. We just shot the video like
last week. So, I mean, that’s the basic rundown on Flo Rida.
How long were you with the Groundhoggz? Was that just while you were in high
school?
We still together. I’m just the front man for the group.
Who were some of your rap influences before you
got into the game?
The dudes in my group. You know they used to rhyme, a lotta times by the
laundromat and everything like that. And I looked up to ‘em. So I started takin
it serious. Dudes like LL Cool J, Run DMC, the Biggie, 2Pac, the Ludacris, the
Outkast. Andre 3000. Dudes like that.
You say you moved to California and then came back. Do you see a change for
Miami artists in terms of opportunity in the last couple years as opposed to
earlier?
Oh yeah. Most definitely, now that we on television, people feel like they
really can, you know that they can do it. Cuz these dudes, like Rick Ross, he
grew up in the neighborhood. So if you see somebody from the neighborhood on
television, you know, you have more faith. You know like Trick Daddy, the Trinas,
you know, local artists.
Some artists say that the Miami scene is splintered, and artists are only
looking out for themselves. But Poe Boy seems to be real tight..
Yeah we’re family oriented.
How are you guys so tight at Poe Boy?
Right now it’s like the movement. It’s like everybody is stickin together. You
got the Cool n Dre, you know you got the Slip-n-Slide family, you got the Poe
Boy family. Basically, like you get further bein like a family, so, you know,
everybody tend to do things as a whole, versus being like separate.
So you feel like the Miami scene is unified now?
Yeah, most definitely.
Nowadays some artists say that they’re trappers and not rappers, while some
artists wanna reject that. Where do you stand on the rapper/trapper debate?
Naw I call myself a artist. I just love music.
How do you describe your style?
More like melodic, real catchy. You know, I like to use different things. I
might talk about a toothbrush or something like that, but it’ll be more on the
real side of something like that. On my first single, it was called “Birthday”,
it was like “I don’t want no cake on my birthday/I want my cake everyday”. And I
was just sayin like, basically, you know, you’re not promised tomorrow. Just
take advantage of every day, but it was more so like.. kids, they love sayin it,
as well as grown people, when they feel like it’s more a real approach. My music
is like urban. This new single, you know, it’s crossin over to like the pop
market as well, so I’m more a universal artist, than just havin like a local
sound.
In terms of the Miami scene, bringin that more party style through songs like
“Birthday”, do you feel that’s something different for Miami?
Oh most definitely. Most definitely I think it’s more of a universal approach
than just a local sound. And I mean, just me bein on different coasts and
everything like that, you know, it really opened my mind more so to music. So, I
try to use all those different influences.
I saw in a magazine, you got a Jimmy Hendrix tattoo on your arm, right?
Yeah. I decided to get him because this like a dude.. he played guitar, but he
was just like a left-handed guitar player. And the approach to my music is more
so on the left side. I like to do things that’s like, different, you know, more
than just on the norm. So I just decided to get Jimi Hendrix cuz I knew it’d
catch people’s attention. And he definitely caught my attention from the music,
you know different ways that he came up with his guitar licks and everything. I
kinda take that same approach to my music. I mean I don’t play no instruments or
nothing like that, but I thought it’d be something like representin myself in
that way.
You got mixtapes droppin?
I have a couple of mixtapes. The first mixtape I did it’s called It’s a Done
Deal. Then I came out with this tape called It’s the Birthday Man. Then I got
this DVD mixtape: it’s a Money Right DVD mixtape. It’s with one of the Poe Boy
artists, Brisco. He Cash Money/Poe Boy. It’s a DVD mixtape. Then right now I
have The Chronicles of Flo Rida we droppin.
The mixtape game’s been a little shaky lately. Given current events, have you
been focusing as much attention on mixtapes?
Oh most definitely, cuz I want people to get a chance to feel me before they buy
the album. Let them know what they dealin with. That I’m a solid artist, that
you can count on me. So I think it’s a great thing to put out the mixtape.
And what’s up with the album?
Mail on Sunday’s the album. We droppin the beginning of next year. You know I
got producers on there: Cool n Dre, Designated Hittaz: you know I got a song,
“Jealous”, on the Entourage Soundtrack by them. And the song “Low” is produced
by Monte. That’s actually the lead single for the Step It Up 2 Soundtrack. I
have, who else, Jazze Pha, the Runners: they did my “Birthday” song. As far as
artists on there, we got Ricky Ross, you got Brisco, you got Trey Songz, and a
couple more artists I’m tryin to put on there. Not too many, but maybe like, a
couple more.
When’s the album’s dropping?
The first of next year.
What’s your opinion on your place in the game in general?
I mean basically, I just feel like we can get further if you just love music.
I’m not really into the stereotypes about the game and who’s the best rapper and
all of that. I’m basically just, you know, lovin music. I did it from day one. I
got my chance to shine so I’m just gonna do what I been doin. I got a deal, so I
know that all my other dreams and aspirations can come true. So I just continue
to love music and continue to put forth the effort: 102% effort. You know, so
basically that’s how I feel about the state of the game right now.
You got got a Triple C’s chain..
We represent Triple C’s. That’s Carol City Cartel. I’m from Carol City, so all
of us affiliated.
But you’re not officially in the group, right?
Not the group, but as far as the movement.
Album sales’ve been fallin, so nowadays there might be more focus on something
like the ringtone than an album. What’s your take on that?
I mean basically I feel like people buy albums when they get in tune with the
artist, versus just a song. You know, so that’s why I put out the mixtapes, so
they can get a chance to see me, get a feelin for my music, the type of edge I’m
comin with. So then they won’t have a problem goin out there to buy my music.
Anything else you wanna add?
Yeah if anybody wanna get in touch with me they can hit me up on
www.myspace.com/officialflo,
or www.officialflo.com.
Interview by: B-Down
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