SUPERTALENTED: Flo-Rida speaks exclusively to HIPHOSSIP!

FLO-RIDA IS ON FN MTV WHICH DEBUTS TODAY
TUNE IN 8PM ET

I do wanna personally thank My-lan Beauford of Fanscape in Los Angeles, David Miller of Atlantic Records, and Brian Graden, President of MTV Entertainment Group in the USA for choosing HipHossip as first in Canada to interview Flo for the FN MTV gig!

On Monday 9th of June 2008 around dinnertime, Atlantic Records hooked me up in a conference call to Rapper Flo-Rida from the U.S. Flo Rida (born Tramar Dillard) is an American rapper. He was born in Opa-locka, Florida. As a teenager, he toured with local rap group 2 Live Crew. He was particularly close to Fresh Kid Ice who mentored him he as he said. He told me that he also lived with Devante Swing of Jodeci for 3 years and learned a lot from him. Later, he appeared in numerous popular rap mixtapes, most notably in "We the Best" by DJ Khaled in 2006, when he was signed to the Poe Boy Entertainment label, distributed by Atlantic Records.

(Photo by Chad Griffith)

"Mail on Sunday" was Flo Rida's solo debut album; its lead single "Low" was a number one hit in early 2008. There is also the Elevator song that we here in Toronto drool over. Now who doesn't live in a freaking high rise in the 4th largest city in North America. No elevator, No exit! LOL! I cracked up to him on that one. Flo also told me that this weekend's MMVA's (Much Music Video Awards will be his first ever trip to Canada.

The core of Flo's interview with me focused on how MTV has given him the chance as he said (very humble) to show his talents. He also told me that MTV is going to be doing a lot of projects with him now. His video "In the Ayer" featuring Will.i.am is going to debut on FN MTV today Friday the 13th of June. He stated he was on the Tila Tequila New Years Eve gig and MTV loved his performance so much that they said they will be working with him like crazy! This is a guy who was rejected by several major record labels at one time. We all know what happened to Kanye too. Makes you wonder who these A&R's in the music business are. Flo-Rida is extremely talented!


He described his visit to the MTV Japan awards last month as very "monumental" and that he felt treated like royalty over there. Flo-Rida also opened the show as you know from my coverage last month in pictures. We then talked about KJ's school project where you show and tell something interesting from your country. KJ named music artists in America with the name of towns, cities and states in his grade 2 project.


#4-Whitney Houston
#3-Charli Baltimore
#2 -Hannah Montana
#1-FLO-RIDA!

Flo wants to get into clothing lines, movie scripts, his mixtape "Money like two" with another Poe Boy artist Briscoe Cash Money is pumping! He describes Timbaland as a talented producer and Devante Swing of Jodeci as a mentor. His hit "We break the dawn" is the most downloaded song on i-Tunes for June 2008 at #18 and we have only spent 12 days in June! I see Grammys, Billboards, BET, American Music, BRIT and even JUNOS for Flo-Rida. He is an all round great INTERNATIONAL HIP-HOP ARTIST. Flo is famous for shouting out his phone # at concerts. So if you wanna talk to him personally, his cell for you the fan is 305-528-2786


Watch the "LOW" video here



Watch "ELEVATOR" video here




Flo-Rida's Myspace page

Flo-Rida's Official website


I used to carry two cells myself during my Radio Nigeria DJ days. One personal for the family and pals and one for my fans. They could always reach me even if that phone rang every 3 minutes or 10 text messages after a show. The FAN is so important! For detailed information about this entire summer's FN MTV, click here