Life in the fast lane

Flo Rida’s riding high since getting “Low”

HIGH GEAR: Flo Rida

by ERIK LEIJON

Every summer needs that one sunny, ubiquitous hit song. Hot summer nights are begging for a track that perfectly reflects the uncomplicated romanticism of those warm months with the carnal reaction caused by seeing girls in apple-bottom jeans. Flo Rida’s “Low” is precisely that song. A blissful marriage of cool, stylish synths, an unmistakable T-Pain hook and the hyperactive rapping of Carol City native Flo Rida, “Low” perfectly encapsulates summer 2008 in under four minutes. No surprise that Flo Rida comes from the eternally hot Southern state from which he’s taken his moniker.

“Growing up in Dade County,” says the 28-year old rapper, who released his debut album Mail on Sunday earlier this year, “it’s a fast life. I remember the old 2 Live Crew videos where they were driving around in flashy cars and had nice women—it made me want to become a rapper. I grew up in the projects and there was a lot of drug dealing and killing, but I knew I wanted to become an artist and that I would have to make certain sacrifices to get there.”

Fittingly enough, it was famous Floridian rap group 2 Live Crew that gave Flo Rida his first major break, after they saw his group, the Groundhoggz, open for Texas rapper Scarface at a popular Miami nightclub. As an 18-year-old, Flo Rida was given a spot as the hype man for Fresh Kid Ice of the 2 Live Crew and had an opportunity to perform in Hawaii with the group. “There were a lot of crazy things that surprised me,” he recalls. “Seeing things like girls getting nude on stage. But really the experience just opened my mind to what being an artist meant.”

Although that experience had left him clamouring for the limelight, not long after, he found himself in Los Angeles and eventually Las Vegas, struggling to break through as a solo artist. He briefly attended the University of Las Vegas, and worked various odd jobs in the city for two years. Despite the dead ends out West, Flo Rida never contemplated giving up his dream of a music career, saying he “didn’t have a Plan B.”

“I was thinking at the time, with the 2 Live Crew thing, I never had the avenues to make that happen. But it showed me that if you’re at the right place at the right time, good things can happen. As I kept making bigger and bigger sacrifices, I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the door.”

Flo Rida isn’t the only Floridian in recent years to gain exposure. He cites Rick Ross, Sean Kingston, Trina and Trick Daddy all as fellow Miami grads with whom he shares a common bond. The recent explosion of “Low” has, in his view, made him a de-facto ambassador for his home state whenever he’s performing elsewhere, including a performance alongside Simple Plan at the MuchMusic Video Awards this past June. His appearance was notable because they had him dropped onto the stage via a harness. “They had me flying off of a five-storey building to the stage,” he recalls. “I didn’t know I would be doing that and I was scared at first, but made it through.”

In Montreal, he promises to be more in his element, playing in clubs and giving fans his cell phone number, a popular marketing tool for young rappers. “It’s definitely a good way to stay in touch with fans,” he says.

With Vaï at Super 9 Club
(9 dufour, St-Mathias Sur
Richelieu) on Saturday, July 12,
8 p.m., $25, and with DJ Puppa Sacha
and DJ L at Time Supperclub on
Sunday, July 13, 8 p.m., $25