March 25, 2015 Spring Break Icon Q+A: Flo Rida Thirty-five-year-old rapper Flo Rida has ripped an ongoing streak of number-one club- bangers, sold millions of records, amassed over a billion YouTube views, and been nominated for three Grammy Awards. And while some confusion may persist for how to pronounce his name, nothing seems to slow the Flo—his latest single "G.D.F.R." has just gone platinum, and his new EP, "My House," drops next month. The Mr. Rida joined us this week to reflect on club-hopping strategy, his favorite spring break memories, and his status as America's incumbent party laureate. ··· Tell us your first spring break memory. As a kid in the projects, I always looked forward to spring break. We'd either have cousins
Transcript
March 25, 2015
Spring Break Icon Q+A: Flo Rida
Thirty-five-year-old rapper Flo Rida has ripped an ongoing streak of number-one club-bangers, sold millions of records, amassed over a billion YouTube views, and been nominated for three Grammy Awards. And while some confusion may persist for how to pronounce his name, nothing seems to slow the Flo—his latest single "G.D.F.R." has just gone platinum, and his new EP, "My House," drops next month. The Mr. Rida joined us this week to reflect on club-hopping strategy, his favorite spring break memories, and his status as America's incumbent party laureate.
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Tell us your first spring break memory. As a kid in the projects, I always looked forward to spring break. We'd either have cousins
visiting us for the week from up north and we'd all play sports together, or sometimes I'd go to Vero Beach and hang with my cousins there. I was a teenager, too young to go to the club, but my cousins had an insane collection of cassette tapes, so we started throwing house parties. We'd DJ parties on the stereo, even on a boom box, having spent all day cueing up each tape to just the right song. It was pretty wild and the parties went all night. But I was super-shy back then.
How did get over your shyness? What changed? In my late teens and early 20s, I started selling mix CDs on the street. My first love was basketball, but that wasn't gonna launch me, and I knew I had to get into other things. So me and my friends, we started making mix CDs and going down to South Beach or to the parking lot at Pitbull concerts to spend all night hustling. I was amazed—people were buying the CDs up like crazy! We'd only sleep an hour a night, we were hitting the streets so hard. And the shyness faded with every CD I sold, seeing that I could make money off my passion.
What was your pitch? What would you say to people? I'd just be like: Hey, we got some hot music, check it out. $5 for a CD. If you don't want a CD, we got T-shirts, too. See, we always had shirts and CDs. If they don't want a CD, we'll sell them a shirt and slip them the CD anyway. That way we were always getting our music into people's hands. The best targets were folks in the parking lot playing music in their car. I never had anybody with music on turn me down.
Over time, you get a sense for what people are all about, and learn to feel their spirit. I always tried to have a nice approach and be friendly and open; having the right attitude sold a lot of CDs. It's not that I'm never shy anymore, I just know how to go on stage and become a ball of energy and turn into a whole different beast. At this point, I can turn it on and off.
What does being from Florida mean to you? Being from Miami, you're used to the fact that your home is a vacation spot. But that's what makes Miami one of the best places in the world. We're so rich in different cultures, being so close to Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, and then you've got people who travel from all over the world just to come visit. So when it comes time for Spring Break or the holidays, it just means we crank the party level up another notch.
What about partying has changed as you've gotten older? I remember when I was 19 years old, still in high school, and Kobe Bryant had just signed with the Lakers. He came to Miami for spring break. I was underage but there was this massive party on the beach, and I managed to get in. The vibe was so cool. I saw Kobe, Shaquille O'Neal, Trina, Trick Daddy, and all these others, and I was just amazed. I was this young dude from the projects surrounded by all these celebrities, and I was like, Damn, one day I want to be able to party like these guys.
I wanted it to become my way of life—not just one party one night that I'd crashed that one time.
What's the craziest party experience you've ever had? Here's the wildest: In 2002, I was about 22, and I was performing in a night club in Miami during spring break with my old group the GroundHoggz, and this guy who worked at the club also worked with 2 Live Crew. He told me they needed someone to be the hype man for [2 Live Crew member] Fresh Kid Ice for a show in Hawaii. I'd grown up listening to 2 Live Crew's music, and now I'd be getting a chance to meet Fresh Kid Ice in person.
So I go to the airport, and on the plane I had to learn all the lyrics to all the songs. I landed in Hawaii and the show was that very same night. I had no idea how crazy things were about to get. I mean, people come to these shows well prepared to lose their minds. We got to the venue and before I knew it, I was signing autographs, girls were crying and taking their clothes off—some of them had mistaken me for LL Cool J—and I was like, Whoa. I'd been part of their crew for one day. That's what made me really want to pursue music: I got a sense for the places it could take you. I thought, Damn, if I get on like this myself one day, it'll be the wildest.
What about your all-time best spring break? In 2008, my first album had just dropped, and I was doing MTV Spring Break concerts in Panama City, Myrtle Beach, and Mexico. This was right after "Low" [with T-Pain] had been released, and I'd only just started performing the song. It was crazy! We had girls onstage dancing, and I was going out into the crowd spraying champagne. To look out across that sea of bodies, everyone freaking out, the excitement in people's faces, I had this feeling: I could definitely get addicted to this. After grinding for so many years, my career was finally taking off. People were taking pictures with me, I was signing autographs—and not because
I was rolling with 2 Live Crew or they thought I was LL Cool J. What a rush to experience all of that for the first time.
It's funny. Everyone was on spring break, but I was thinking about how hard we'd worked to craft those songs.
Where do you write your songs? I like to just get in the car and drive to the ocean and look out over the waves. Sometimes I'll work in the studio, or sit in my office with my feet up on the desk. Writing is such a private practice, really. It's intimate. I've written records in lonely hotel rooms. It's crazy to think about writing the songs in such solitude—but then to find myself with a crowd of thousands, singing the words back to me.
A lot of the time when you're writing a record you're thinking about what kind of response you want from the audience; you can actually imagine the fun they'll be having. As I'm writing I'm imagining what it might be like to perform this song at a spring break party or a concert, and I'm wondering, How will people respond?
Why do you think your sound is so iconic to revelers? I think it's because I grew up in a place that's known for partying. It's in me. I see it. I live it. It's completely organic. My songs represent the life of the party and I always love bringing the fans on stage so they can rock it out and party with me. It keeps it fresh for me, having strangers up there; it lets the fans know how much I appreciate them; and I love giving people the moment of a lifetime and watching them basically lose their minds.
Can spring break happen anywhere outside of Florida?! In Cannes I did a few shows and in a way it was like Miami, with all these different cultures coming together. Really, I saw more similarities to how we do it back home than differences. But one thing really grabbed me. I'm used to going to the club and popping bottles, and people always think it's a lot of bottles, but over in Cannes I've seen people pop literally a thousand Cristal bottles! We got to the club and they were rolling the bottles out in huge refrigerators. The same night Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and Kurupt were performing, so people at the club were really showing off. Jimmy Iovine was in the corner sipping on something, and my DJ and I, we actually had so many Cristal bottles we were pouring them out on the ground. It was completely insane.
What's your dream party-vacation day—the whole thing, morning 'til night? I'd want to have some friends in town. We'd go out on a yacht, do some jet-skiing, and hang out at Mango's on South Beach, and then hit the Fontainebleau—they have a wonderful pool there. At night we'd go out on the town, moving from one club to the next, and then on to another one.
Basically, what I did last night.
Here's something we've always wondered: How do you know, specifically, when it's time to move from one club on to the next? You have to take a long view on the whole night and budget your time. You give yourself only a certain amount of time at each club because you want to hit all of them. So when you enter the club, remind yourself, "Okay, we've got an hour and a half here, and then we got to keep it moving." You also have to know what time each club is gonna close to pace yourself just right. And always save the best club for last..
What does a Flo Rida-hosted spring break look like? You want to make sure everyone is looking good and feeling fit, since everyone's gonna be taking off their shirts. You want that bikini body, so the best thing to do is to go the gym every day and stay in shape. I actually have a cardio workout program that just came out called Flo Fit, which I recommend.
The main thing [in life] is to handle your business, but also make time to hang out with your friends. Don't be all work and no play. Listen to some Flo Rida music, don't get too deep in the grind, and prioritize your social time, just like you would on spring break. Remember, spring break is not a once-a-year kind of thing—spring break is a state of mind.
Where’s Flo Rida? Think you have what it takes to find him? Warm up with this practice test, then take the real GroupMe Flo Finda challenge atFloFinda.com. Don’t forget to pre-order Flo Rida’s new EP “My HOUSE” right here.
Flo Rida sits down with Larry King to discuss his new single 'G.D.F.R', his success with crossing music genres and his love of WWE . Plus Larry tries his hand at Flo
Exclusive: Flo Rida Talks ‘G.D.F.R.,’ Basketball, Beyoncé, His Career & Upcoming Album
Flo Rida discussed his new single “G.D.F.R.” and so much more.
Congrats on the new single “G.D.FR.” Tell us about the song and speak about working with Sage The Gemini.
Yeah, shout out to my boy Sage the Gemini and Look as who actually produces on the record. Sage, probably a couple years prior to us doing this record, I met him for the first time and most recently we went into the studio and we created this record thinking it would most definitely get the crowd hype, with him being the life of the party and me being the life of the party then merging the two. We’ve seen some great success from it, being the theme song from the NBA as well.
Tell us about Lookas?
He’s a house DJ and producer. The sample that is on the record, he’s the guy who came up with that.
“G.D.F.R.” is now the theme song for ESPN’s coverage of the 2014-15 NBA season? What are your favorite basketball teams?
I can’t say favorite, but definitely Miami Heat is my team. I’m really more of a fan of a lot of the players, like LeBron James, Derrick Rose, I love Carmelo and D.Wade. A lot of the players on the [Miami] Heat are my friends and I knew them prior to the success I have now, but regardless I always go for the home team.
If you could play 1:1 with a basketball player who would it be?
I’m definitely interested in seeing what it would be like to play against LeBron. Not to say that I’d have some success, but when it comes down to greatness you definitely want to experience that.
Your upcoming album is called “The Perfect 10.” What inspired the titled?
After being in the game for about 8 years, I definitely wanted to put a great work of art together, that was the perfect material. Each song well thought out, well produced, great
lyrics, great melodies and I can just give it to the fans. I look forward to them making this as successful if not more then the last album I put out.
What can fans expect from the project?
This project, I’ve been working on it for over a year now. I’ve definitely been inspired by a lot of the places I’ve been traveling to and meeting new artists that have inspired me and who have been in the game. So far I got to work with Sage on the album, Robin Thicke, my boy Frankie who is one of the producers on the album and as far as giving you guys all the details on the album, I’ll definitely be posting some things on my Instagram Official_Flo.
Are there any other key producers/collaborators you worked with?
I got the chance to work with DJ Mustard as well.
You are known for merging genres like Dance and Hip-Hop. Can you reflect on that?
Yeah, I think growing up in Miami, Florida where there is a gumbo of different cultures and it’s a place that a lot of tourists love to come. It has inspired my music as far as me taking the initiative to work with EDM producers and various producers. Just growing up in Miami and being a fan of artists from Miami, who’ve had success such as the 2 Live Crew, Trick Daddy, Trina, and even now Rick Ross and Pitbull.
You have worked with David Guetta, will.i.am & Nicki Minaj, what do you love about collaborating with other artists?
Just the passion that they have. And at the same time it’s always interesting to be around them and feel their aura. You can just tell they have so much to give to music and I just love being around that. I know how much hard work I put into this and how creative I am and it’s just a lot of creative minds together, so you never know what you might come up with.
When did you first realize you were passionate about music?
Definitely the day I decided to drop out of school to pursue music. I was going to school at the university out in Las Vegas and didn’t have enough time to do my music.
Is there any singer/rapper you would like to collaborate with?
I always tell people, I’m a big fan of Beyoncé. I got a chance to go on tour with her, but as far as making a record I think that would be something that would make history.
In my household, my sisters grew up singing gospel. They had a gospel group growing up and they still do. My dad plays just about every instrument and he sings as well.
You are known for great club jams, where are your favorite places to party?
Going to Dubai, partying in my Miami my hometown and going to London, partying in Russia, the Bahamas. I mean anywhere I go, I get the party going.
As Thanksgiving is coming up, what are you most thankful for?
Definitely my family and being able to give. That I’ve been blessed with the ability to give. I do a lot of charity. Back home, I have a football league with about eight thousand kids. We just did an event with the cheerleaders, and there were about three thousand people in the building at the University of Miami, where we held a cheerleading competition. We’ve been doing this for years now just to see the smiles on the kids’ faces, from 4 year olds to 14 years old. It’s really just overwhelming. Dej Loaf came out and performed, Fat Joe, Gorilla Zoe, and my artists as well as some of the Dj’s around town came out. Watching the parents react, you know they always give me a pat on my back for never forgetting where I came from.
This is Flo Rida like we've never seen him before.
The rapper behind "Low," "Whistle,” and "Right 'Round," among our (many) other party favorites, is showing off his sensitive side with his new single "Once in a Lifetime." See the video first on ETonline!
WATCH: Flo Rida's GRAMMY Moment
"This record is very heartfelt but at the same time, me growing up from the projects, I thought this was a record that could definitely represent something more real," Flo tells ETonline. The track will feature on his upcoming EP My House.
"This being My House, I thought it would bring the fans into something that represented everything that goes into my house," he explains. "There's a party in my house, there's real conversations in my house... it's just a branch off of that."
Flo Rida Discusses T-Pain’s Real Singing Voice, Friendship With Floyd Mayweather, & New Album (VIDEO)
Get fit with Flo.
Flo Rida burst onto the music scene with his T-Pain-assisted smash single “Low” back in 2007, and four albums later, he’s still cranking out hits, his latest being “GDFR” featuring Bay Area rapper Sage The Gemini.
GlobalGrind caught up with Flo at his label home, Atlantic Records, to discuss his new single “GDFR,” opening up for Beyoncé in Australia, meeting Aretha Franklin, and hanging out with Floyd Mayweather.
Flo Rida also revealed that he always knew T-Pain had a great singing voice – long before his viral acoustic NPR performance hit the ‘net. Flo Rida’s forthcoming album, Perfect 10, is scheduled to drop in 2015.
