Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper. His 2007 breakout single "

Low Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital download sales at the time of its release. Flo Rida's debut studio album, 2008's '' Mail on Sunday'', reached number four in the US. The album was succeeded by ''

R.O.O.T.S. ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (short for ''Route of Overcoming the Struggle'') is the second studio album by American rapper Flo Rida. It was released on March 24, 2009, by Poe Boy Entertainment and Atlantic Records.Only One Flo (Part 1)'' and 2012's '' Wild Ones'', also charted on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Flo Rida has sold over 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists. His catalog includes the international hit singles "

Right Round "Right Round" is a single performed by American rapper Flo Rida featuring guest vocals from American singer Kesha. It was released as the lead Single (music), single from his second studio album, ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (2009). It was released to radio ...

", " Club Can't Handle Me", " Good Feeling", " Wild Ones", " Whistle", " I Cry", " G.D.F.R.", and " My House". He represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, together with Senhit.

Life and career

1979–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Tramar Lacel Dillard was born on September 16, 1979, in the Carol City neighborhood of Miami Gardens, Florida. He has seven sisters, the youngest of whom is his twin. Some of his sisters sang in a local gospel group. His brother-in-law was a hype man for local rap group

2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop music, hip hop group from Miami, Florida, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luther Campbell, Luke Campbell, Fr ...

, and while in ninth grade, Flo Rida joined an amateur rap group called the GroundHoggz. The GroundHoggz had been a three-man group, with members who lived in the same apartment complex as Flo Rida. They started recording at underground studios in Carver Ranches. The GroundHoggz, in this four-man incarnation, remained together for eight years. Early on in his career one of his sisters, Julia, died due to bronchitis. Her death greatly affected Dillard and his career, with him telling MTV, "I was very close to her, and I told myself that I was going to do this for my sister." While he was performing, rapper Fresh Kid Ice took notice and asked him to be his hype man, and shortly after he took him for a show in Hawaii. Flo Rida considers this period his schooling. With The GroundHoggz, they were featured guests on Fresh Kid Ice's album ''Freaky Chinese'' (2004). Flo Rida's work with Fresh Kid Ice attracted the attention of DeVante Swing, a member of the band Jodeci. However, he was rejected by several of the

major labels A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

, so he sought a number of other jobs outside of music. After graduating from high school in 1998, he studied international business management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for two months and attended Barry University for two months. He returned to Florida to continue pursuing his music career after receiving a phone call from a representative of the independent label Poe Boy Entertainment. Flo Rida was associated with

Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...

, as featuring artist in 2000. In year 2004, he began affiliating himself for with other Southern hip hop artists, such as

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

, Trina, T-Pain, and Trick Daddy. A promotional single entitled "Birthday", featuring Rick Ross, was his first significant release. He made his debut guest appearance with the song "Bitch I'm From Dade County" on DJ Khaled's album '' We the Best'' (2007), which also features Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross, Brisco, C-Ride, and

Dre DRE may refer to: * ''Dre'' (album), 2010 by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, 2010 * Dre (name) **Dr. Dre, American rapper and producer * DRE voting machine * Digital rectal examination, in medicine * Director of religious education; for exam ...

2007–2008: ''Mail on Sunday''

Flo Rida's debut album, '' Mail on Sunday'', was released on March 18, 2008. The first single was "

", featuring T-Pain, which was also included in the soundtrack to the movie '' Step Up 2: The Streets''. "Low" reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. " Elevator", featuring Timbaland, " In the Ayer" featuring

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

, and "Roll" featuring

Sean Kingston Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wit ...

followed, and both charted on the Hot 100 and other charts. In addition to T-Pain, there were many featured guests throughout ''Mail on Sunday''. Timbaland, who produced the second single " Elevator", is also featured on the track.

, and Trey Songz made appearances as well.Danica Dow (February 23, 2008)
SOHH Exclusive: Flo Rida Goes "Postal" on Debut, Collaborates w/ Will.i.am, Lil' Wayne
. ''SOHH''. Retrieved February 24, 2008. Lil Wayne appeared on the track "American Superstar", while

appeared on the J. R. Rotem-produced "Roll", which was co-written by Compton rapper Spitfiya. Various other guests include Birdman, Brisco, and Yung Joc. "Money Right", featuring Brisco and

, was scheduled to be the fourth single, but this was canceled due to the upcoming release of Flo Rida's second studio album,

R.O.O.T.S. ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (short for ''Route of Overcoming the Struggle'') is the second studio album by American rapper Flo Rida. It was released on March 24, 2009, by Poe Boy Entertainment and Atlantic Records.T-Pain, "I Bet", as well as his collaboration with Trina, named "Bout It", both did not make the final tracklist, but were recorded. After the success of ''Mail on Sunday'', Flo Rida made guest performances on other R&B, rap, and pop singles, including " Move Shake Drop" by DJ Laz, " We Break the Dawn" by Michelle Williams, the remix of "4 Minutes" by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

, " Running Back" by Australian R&B singer Jessica Mauboy, "Feel It" by DJ Felli Fel, and the remix of " Speedin'" by

. During the summer of 2008, he did live performances on the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

dance competition program '' So You Think You Can Dance'' in the US and 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards in Canada. He appeared on the albums ''

We Global ''We Global'' is the third studio album by Miami based mixtape DJ and Terror Squad member, DJ Khaled. The album was released on September 16, 2008. This was his third album distributed by Koch Records (now Entertainment One Music), and the first ...

'' by DJ Khaled, '' Gutta'' by Ace Hood, and '' The Fame'' by Lady Gaga.

2009–2010: ''R.O.O.T.S.''

Flo Rida began recording his second album, ''

R.O.O.T.S. ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (short for ''Route of Overcoming the Struggle'') is the second studio album by American rapper Flo Rida. It was released on March 24, 2009, by Poe Boy Entertainment and Atlantic Records.Right Round "Right Round" is a single performed by American rapper Flo Rida featuring guest vocals from American singer Kesha. It was released as the lead Single (music), single from his second studio album, ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (2009). It was released to radio ...

" featuring Kesha, was released for airplay in January 2009. "Right Round" jumped from number 58 to the top spot in one week in late February. The song broke a record for the most digital one week sales in the US, with 636,000, beating the previous record he had set himself with "

". "Right Round" sampled "

You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second album, '' Youthquake'' (1985). Released as a single in November 1984, it reached No. 1 in the UK in March 1985, taking 17 weeks to get ...

", a 1985 hit by British band

Dead or Alive Dead or Alive most commonly refers to: * Dead or Alive (band), a British pop band * Dead or alive, a phrase on a wanted poster Dead or Alive may also refer to: Film and television * ''Dead or Alive'' (1921 film), an American silent film dir ...

. "Right Round" also became Flo Rida's first chart-topping song in the United Kingdom. The second official single was "

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

", which featured R&B singer Wynter Gordon. The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. " Jump", featuring singer Nelly Furtado, was the third official single and was released on July 27, 2009, in the United Kingdom, and July 28, 2009, worldwide. "

Be on You "Be on You" is the fifth official single from Flo Rida's second album, ''R.O.O.T.S.''. It features Ne-Yo and is produced by Stargate. Despite gaining much airplay in July 2009, the single wasn't officially released until October 2009, due to Flo R ...

", featuring singer Ne-Yo, was the album's fourth official single, released on October 6, 2009. Both songs charted in the top 100 in various countries. "

Available In reliability engineering, the term availability has the following meanings: * The degree to which a system, subsystem or equipment is in a specified operable and committable state at the start of a mission, when the mission is called for at ...

", featuring Akon, was going to be released on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

but was cancelled. A music video was, however, shot in mid-2009. ''R.O.O.T.S.'' debuted at number eight on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 55,000 copies in its first week. As of August 2009, the album has sold 223,000 copies in the United States, and 536,000 worldwide. By the end of 2009, the album sold 247,000 copies in the US, becoming the eighth best-selling rap album of 2009. Flo Rida made guest performances on " Feel It" by DJ Felli Fel, " Starstruck" by Lady Gaga, and " Feel It" by Three 6 Mafia. " Bad Boys", the second song by winner of

season 5 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

of the British TV singing competition '' The X Factor''

Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series ''The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syc ...

that featured Flo Rida, debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart in October 2009, becoming both Burke's and Flo Rida's second chart-topping song in Britain.

2010–2011: ''Only One Flo (Part 1)''

Flo Rida's third album '' Only One Flo (Part 1)'' was released on November 24, 2010. In March 2010, Flo Rida announced on Twitter that the album would be titled ''The Only One''. ''Billboard'' reported that ''The Only One'' was to be a double album. A promo single, titled "Zoosk Girl", which features T-Pain, was released on the internet; though the song is not featured on the album, the single does have its own music video. On June 28, 2010, Flo Rida released the song " Club Can't Handle Me" featuring David Guetta, which was stated to be the official first single for the album. The song was also featured in the '' Step Up 3D'' soundtrack. On November 2, 2010, "Come with Me" was released as the first promo single for the album, along with "Puzzle", produced, and featuring by Electrixx, which is not featured on the album. On November 16, 2010, " Turn Around (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" was released as the second official promo single for the album via the iTunes Store. It debuted on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

at number thirty-four on November 29, 2010. After the release of the album in the UK, " Who Dat Girl" started to receive a strong number of downloads, thus causing it to debut at number 136Only One Flo (Part 1)
Chart Log UK. Retrieved August 2011 on the UK Singles Chart and chart at a current peak of number thirty-one on the UK R&B Chart. "Why You Up In Here" was released as the fourth single, and third promo single, on May 11, 2011. The song features Ludacris, Gucci Mane, and

Git Fresh Git Fresh (formerly known as DeepSide) is an American R&B and hip hop group based in Miami, Florida. They are currently signed to The Island Def Jam Music Group, Island Def Jam. The group was initially composed of Rude Boi, Pretty Sly, Penny, & ...

. Flo Rida also made guest appearances on " iYiYi", a song by Australian teen singer Cody Simpson, and on the song "Out My Video" by Bulgarian singer

LiLana LiLana (born 1985) is a Bulgarian singer and ex-TV host. She is best known for her appearance in the celebrity spin-off of the reality show '' Big Brother'' – ''VIP Brother''. In 2009 LiLana came into public eye with a song named "Dime Piece" ...

. Flo Rida collaborated with UK girl group The Saturdays, recording a new version of their single, "

Higher Higher may refer to: Music * The Higher, a 2002–2012 American pop rock band Albums * ''Higher'' (Ala Boratyn album) or the title song, 2007 * ''Higher'' (Ezio album) or the title song, 2000 * ''Higher'' (Harem Scarem album) or the title song ...

". In December 2010, Flo Rida created his own label, International Music Group, inspired by Nicki Minaj's signing with Lil Wayne's. He has signed an 18-year-old rapper, Brianna and Git Fresh to International.

2011–2013: ''Wild Ones''

Flo Rida's fourth album, '' Wild Ones'' (originally titled ''Only One Rida (Part 2)'') was released in July 2012. Its debut single was " Good Feeling", released on August 29, 2011. The song samples

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

' 1962 song, " Something's Got a Hold on Me". Following the death of Etta James on January 20, 2012, Flo Rida dedicated the song in her memory. The song peaked at No. 3 in the United States, and topped the charts in Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, it became Flo Rida's fourth chart-topper on the UK Singles Chart including collaborations with British artists and David Guetta. It reached the top five in nine other countries. The next two singles from the album were the title track, " Wild Ones", released in December 2011, and " Whistle", released in April 2012. "Wild Ones" reached No. 1 in various countries, and hit #5 in the US, while "Whistle" reached No. 1 in 20 countries, including the United States. Flo Rida was a well-known high school basketball coach in Carol City, Florida prior to his rise to fame as a rapper in North America. Flo Rida stated in an interview with TMZ that he wrote the No. 1 billboard hit "Whistle" about his love for basketball and his time as a coach. In the song he sings "Can you blow my whistle, baby, whistle, baby? Let me know. Girl, I'm gonna show you how to do it and we start real slow. You just put your lips together and you come real close. Can you blow my whistle, baby, whistle, baby? Here we go." Here, Flo Rida stated that he was referring to teaching a female colleague how to referee games as she was new to the Carol City Basketball Organisation (CCBO), and had made some questionable calls. On April 1, 2012, Flo Rida appeared at WWE's

WrestleMania XXVIII WrestleMania XXVIII (also written as WrestleMania 28) was the 28th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the high ...

in a segment with Heath Slater, Curt Hawkins, and Tyler Reks, in which Slater called Flo Rida "Florida" and the rapper shoved him into a wall. Later that night, he performed "Wild Ones" and "Good Feeling" before

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...

came out for his match against John Cena. An exclusive Australian EP entitled '' Good Feeling'' was released in Australia on April 6, which contains six of his biggest hits and two remixes. iTunes EP. Retrieved April 15, 2012 It debuted at No. 21 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart On May 22, 2012, Flo Rida performed and closed the show at the first Q102 Springle Ball Concert, and the following day he performed "Goin' In" with

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

on the '' America Idol'' finale. On September 13, Flo Rida performed his new single " I Cry" on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

''. On December 9, he performed " Let It Roll" and "Wild Ones" at the 2012 edition of WWE's Tribute to the Troops. In November 2012, he collaborated with Olly Murs for his song " Troublemaker". In June 2013, Flo Rida collaborated with Marc Mysterio on the song "Booty on the Floor" to benefit the families and victims of the Boston Marathon bombing via One Fund Boston.

2014–present: ''My House'', status of fifth studio album, lawsuit against Celsius

In January 2014, Flo Rida was featured in the song "One Night Stand" by Slovak duo TWiiNS. In November, he appeared on Nickelback's album ''

No Fixed Address In law, no fixed abode or without fixed abode is not having a fixed geographical location as a residence, commonly referred to as no fixed address. This is applicable to several groups: * People who have a home, but which is not always in the ...

'' in the track "Got Me Runnin' Round". Flo Rida was also featured in Jeremih's track "

Tonight Belongs to U! "Tonight Belongs to U!" is a song by American singer Jeremih. It features American rapper Flo Rida, and was released as a standalone single prior to his third studio album ''Late Nights''. The track premiered on April 6, 2015. Remixes On June 4, ...

". On September 29, 2014 (October 21 in the U.S), Flo Rida released the lead single from his EP '' My House'' (2015) titled " G.D.F.R." featuring Sage the Gemini. The song became his tenth top 10 hit in the United States, peaking at number 8 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and at number 3 in the US Top 100 chart on iTunes. On June 19, 2015, Flo Rida released the second single called " I Don't Like It, I Love It" featuring Robin Thicke and

Verdine White Verdine Adams White (born July 25, 1951) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. White was placed at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's list of The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. Early lif ...

. The single reached the No. 43 spot on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On October 15, 2015, the title track " My House" was released as a single and became an international success, peaking at number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 2016. Following the EP, in December 2015, Flo Rida released the single "Dirty Mind", featuring

Sam Martin Samuel or Sam Martin may refer to: * Samuel Martin (planter) (1694–1776), planter and politician in Antigua * Samuel Martin (Secretary to the Treasury) (1714–1788), British politician and administrator * Sir Samuel Martin (politician) (1801� ...

. On February 20, 2016, Flo Rida released "Who Did You Love", a collaboration with Arianna. On February 26, 2016, Flo Rida released a standalone single "

Hello Friday "Hello Friday" is a song by American rapper and singer Flo Rida featuring fellow American singer Jason Derulo. The song was released as a standalone single on February 26, 2016 in the United States. Remixes were released on May 6, 2016. Track l ...

" featuring

Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer and songwriter.

, that peaked at number 79 in the ''Billboard Hot 100'' chart. On March 24, 2016, he released the promotional single "Who's with Me". On July 29, 2016, Flo Rida released "

Zillionaire "Zillionaire" is a song by American rapper Flo Rida, released on July 29, 2016, in the United States. Remixes followed September 16, 2016. Track listings ;Digital download # "Zillionaire" – 3:52 ;Digital download – remixes # "Zillionaire" ( ...

", that was featured in the trailer for '' Masterminds''. Flo Rida was also featured on Liz Elias' single "At Night" as well as on

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

's single " Greenlight", included on Pitbull's tenth album '' Climate Change''. In early 2017, Flo Rida's track "

Cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, ...

" featuring Bay Area rap duo

99 Percent 99 Percent is an American hip hop duo from the Bay Area that consists of Cameron "Camo" Schauer and Johnnie "JayB" Jacob Jr. The duo gained their initial notoriety by from their 2013 single "Yike in It". In 2014, they released "iTwerk (She Twerk ...

went viral with the trending #CakeChallenge dance, and the song reached No. 77 on the Hot 100. On November 17, 2017, Flo Rida released another single "Hola" featuring Colombian singer/songwriter Maluma. On March 2, 2018, Flo Rida released a new single titled "Dancer" followed shortly afterwards by the '' Just Dance 2019'' track "Sweet Sensation". On multiple occasions, Flo Rida has addressed his progress on a fifth studio album. In 2017, he said it was 70 percent finished, while in 2020 he put it at 88% and alluded to a 2021 release date. Flo Rida was featured on the song " Adrenalina" by Italian singer Senhit who represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. Two days before the second semi-final of the contest, it was confirmed that Flo Rida would be joining Senhit on stage. San Marino, represented by Senhit, finished 22nd overall out of 26 countries in the final of the contest. In 2022, Flo Rida released country rap singles "High Heels" featuring

Walker Hayes Charles Edgar Walker Hayes (born December 27, 1979) is an American country-pop singer and songwriter. He has released three studio albums: ''Reason to Rhyme'' in 2011 on Capitol Records Nashville, and ''Boom (Walker Hayes album), Boom'' and ''Co ...

and "No Bad Days" featuring Jimmie Allen. Flo Rida concert at Werner Park (52382760010)

On January 18, 2023, Flo Rida was awarded $82.6 million by a Florida jury in his lawsuit against Celsius, the maker of energy drinks with whom Flo Rida had an endorsement deal, serving as a brand ambassador from 2014 to 2018. He and his production company, Strong Arm Productions, claimed that Celsius breached their contract and attempted to hide money.

Discography

Studio albums * '' Mail on Sunday'' (2008) * ''

Awards and nominations

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flo Rida 1979 births Living people 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American singers African-American male rappers American male rappers African-American male singers American hip hop singers American male pop singers American male singers American twins APRA Award winners Atlantic Records artists Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2021 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for San Marino People from Carol City, Florida People from Miami Gardens, Florida Pop rappers Rappers from Miami Rappers from Florida Singers from Florida Songwriters from Florida Southern hip hop musicians Twin musicians