Nfared: Ok so I’ve been to the website and have read the bio on your Myspace page and all of that, but in your own words, tell me who Flo-Rida is?
Flo-Rida: Flo-Rida represents Dade County 305 you know the home of Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Pit Bull, Trina, Brisco, you know the two 2Live Crew, you know just a dude who put faith in God first over all things you know cause I know without him nothing is possible. With that being said, that’s Flo-Rida
Nfared: And how did you get into music?
Flo-Rida: My brother-in-law actually, he always been around music, he knew Luther Campbell when I was real young and he would take me around different celebrities and stuff, and I got a chance to be in a couple of videos when I was young, and that inspired me to continue to do what I do at this point. That was a very important part just to start of young like that so I think that’s what really got me to where I’m at now.
Nfared: Was is just being in the videos or was it something else?
Flo-Rida: Just being on the set and seeing it’s a real serious job and it ain’t just like something where you just rap, naw it takes hard work as well as any other job, and I mean, just getting a chance to see and feel how the fans react and that type of thing when I was younger I was like man this is something I might want to do.
Nfared: Was there anybody that was out at the time that had an influence on your decision to do music? If so who?
Flo-Rida: Most definitely like um Poison Clan, at the time that was JT Money and he had the “Who Dat?” record, but we all know him from his group Poison Clan and that was a big inspiration to me, and just watching the 2Live Crew on TV when I was young and you know watching LL Cool J Run DMC back in the days, that pretty much inspired me.
Nfared: There’s a lot of debate lately on exactly what Hip-Hip music really is. This debate goes among fans and among artists. What do you think true Hip-Hop music really is?
Flo-Rida: I think Hip-Hop is definitely a way of life you know? I mean you got to give it up to the areas that did it first like up here in New York and everything and I’m from Miami and I mean it’s definitely how you dress, the way you talk, you know we had graffiti back in the days you know, I think it even falls into the point—you know tattoos are the thing now I mean, Hip-Hop is just like any other music, it has to come from the soul and heart.
Nfared: Recently a slew of artists have been arrested- DJ Drama, T.I. T-Paine, Da Brat, Trey Songz—do you think there is a targeted attack on the Hip-Hop community or do you think these are just people being human and since they are in the spotlight they get?
Flo-Rida: Naw I really believe they attacking Hip-Hop, cause I mean you can go to different clubs and just cause you have on a certain attire they be like no we don’t want no rappers in here, and I was at a hotel and it was just like, where I’m staying at now and they were like, “We do all the rappers like that. You have to leave a deposit because they think you might mess up the room…” I mean I really feel like its just attacking the fact that we are artists.
Nfared: Why do you feel like people are attacking the Hip-Hop community?
Flo-Rida: I mean like you know you have big names out there who are attacking us. So I mean just to see someone who another person might be a fan of, they tend to just follow the trend and I think that plays a major part and I think that is why everyone else is trying to attack the Hip-Hop culture.
Nfared: What do you think about censorship in Hip-Hop?
Flo-Rida: They say we are in a country where we have freedom of speech but I think they’re really not doing the right thing because at the same time you have different movies that they are not trying to ban and do all types of things to so just to attack Hip-Hop is not the brightest idea. If you smart you’ll just notice it.
Nfared: So funny that you would mention movies; DJ Drama said the exact same thing—they don’t censor movies, so why censor Hip-Hop? Flo-Rida: Yup that’s crazy
Nfared: What do you think about negative words in Hip-Hop, lets go specific and say the use of the word “Bitch”. Do you think that is really degrading, or do you think it is just a form of expression?
Flo-Rida: I think it’s just a form of expression. It’s never used just in regards to women I mean in my everyday conversation, me and my friends around me may call another dude that, so you know it is what it is.
Nfared: What are your feelings on Beef in Hip-Hop?
Flo-Rida: I mean that’s not the way I pursue things, but hey you can’t really tell someone how to live they life. You don’t know what they doing through, you know, the level to where they just might take it? Beef may be the smallest thing, so I just let people do them and if I’m doing something they that think I’m, an inspiration to them—I always try to do something good so everyone else will follow it, but if that’s something they wanna do that’s them.
Nfared: It would appear that being a Hip-Hop star is the best thing in the world from everything we see on TV, but talk about some of the struggles you’ve had being in music.
Flo-Rida: Basically um—I’ve done a lot of things to get to where I am. I’ve sacrificed taking money to lawyers who just straight out robbed me of my money. I made the sacrifice to go to California with just $200 on the Greyhound all the way from Miami and not being successful at going to Death Row and Capital Records trying to get a record deal. I went to the Beverly Center one time while I was out there and I had my bag on my shoulder put it on a bus bench, went in for an hour came out bag gone. I went across the street to the station and asked them if they had seen the bag they said I caused a bomb threat. Crazy man, I been though a lot of things. For two years I worked for the MGM Grand taking forks out of the garbage for little or nothing pay, construction work for little or nothing pay, but at the same time every dollar went towards my music, sacrificing all types of things, so what you put in I feel like is what you put out. That’s one of the reason I feel like I’m having the success I’m having right now. I didn’t think it would be to this extent but for the work I put in I do expect what’s going on to happen.
Nfared: There's a popular saying now-- "It's not about your talent, it's about your hustle." Do you agree with that statement?
Flo-Rida: I mean as far as getting seen is concerned yeah, it's about your hustle, but if you looking at longetivity in the industry, it's about talent.
Nfared: If there was not a Flo-Rida the rapper, what would there have been?
Flo-Rida: There would have definitely been a Flo-Rida the basketball player. I mean cause you know what ever I do I feel like I’m gon make it happen, there’s no second nature thing.
Nfared: What’s one of the hardest things about being Flo-Rida
Flo-Rida: Definitely trying to give your time to everybody. Everyone wants a piece of your time. They want you to say happy birthday to everybody and you know they don’t realize that you have a job too and prior to this happening, they wasn’t calling you like that.
Nfared: One of the easiest things?
Flo-Rida: I mean I’m a very patient dude so a lot of things just come easy. Everything I went through I always had faith in God, I mean it may seem crazy at the end or it might seem like I ain’t gone make it through, but I always tend to make it through so I really don’t never get frightened or panic, you know what I mean?
Nfared: A friend and I were discussing music once and he said that the industry specifically targets artist who are one, willing to sacrifice some of their values, and two dumb down lyrics. Do you agree with that?
Flo-Rida: No. I think—no way
Nfared: Why do you think someone would say something like that?
Flo-Rida: Ion know I think that’s just, probably their opinion, you feel me?
Nfared: Five, ten years from now, what do you see yourself doing?
Flo-Rida: I see myself probably opening up a library in my hood something like that, owning my own business, going back to school you know for International Business Management, probably having a first child or something like that.
Nfared: So no kids at this point?
Flo-Rida: Nah
Nfared: What kind of impact do you think your career will have one your kids? Do you think you will still be able to do everything you want to do musically with kids?
Flo-Rida: I mean most definitely you know what I’m saying, you just have to prioritize things, you know, I won’t--- it’ll just be a situation where I will have to pay a little more, have someone watch the kids whether it be my family or something like that.
Nfared: One of the tricky things about being a Hip-Hop is finding genuine people to have in your circle. Seeing as how you have not started a family yet, do you think it will be easy for you to find a woman who wants you for you, and not what you have?
Flo-Rida: I think it’s most definitely going to be more difficult. I mean even without that, you have to watch yourself with who you with. With that being said, when you have popularity and everything like that, it makes it that much harder.
Well, at least the music thing is going well for him. MCP
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