Flo Rida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Flo Rida
Flo Rida in 2016
Background information
Birth name	Tramar Lacel Dillard
Born	(1979-09-16) September 16, 1979 (age 45) Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Hip-hop pop electronic
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Atlantic Poe Boy International Music Group Artist Partner Group Strong Arm
Signature

Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida (/floʊ ˈraɪdə/ FLOH-_-RY-də), is an American rapper and singer. He is famous for his catchy hip-hop and pop songs. His first big hit, "Low" in 2007, was number one in the United States for 10 weeks! It even broke records for how many times it was downloaded.

Flo Rida has sold over 80 million records around the world, making him one of the best-selling music artists ever. You might know some of his other international hit songs like "Right Round", "Club Can't Handle Me", "Good Feeling", "Wild Ones", "Whistle", "I Cry", "G.D.F.R.", and "My House". In 2021, he even represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with singer Senhit.

Life and Music Career

Early Life and Starting Out (1979–2006)

Flo Rida was born Tramar Lacel Dillard on September 16, 1979, in Miami Gardens, Florida. He grew up with seven sisters, including a twin sister. Some of his sisters sang in a local gospel group. His brother-in-law was a "hype man" for a rap group called 2 Live Crew. A hype man is someone who helps get the crowd excited during a performance.

When Flo Rida was in ninth grade, he joined an amateur rap group called the GroundHoggz. They recorded music in underground studios. The group stayed together for eight years. Sadly, one of his sisters, Julia, passed away from bronchitis. This deeply affected Flo Rida, and he decided to pursue his music career in her memory.

Later, another rapper named Fresh Kid Ice noticed Flo Rida and asked him to be his hype man. Flo Rida learned a lot during this time. He even appeared on Fresh Kid Ice's album Freaky Chinese in 2004 with the GroundHoggz.

After high school in 1998, Flo Rida briefly studied international business management in college. But he soon returned to Florida to focus on music after an independent music label, Poe Boy Entertainment, called him. By 2004, he was working with other Southern hip-hop artists like Rick Ross and T-Pain. His first important song was "Birthday," which featured Rick Ross. He also appeared on DJ Khaled's album We the Best in 2007.

First Albums and Big Hits (2007–2010)

Flo Rida's first album, Mail on Sunday, came out on March 18, 2008. The first song from the album was "Low", featuring T-Pain. This song was also in the movie Step Up 2: The Streets. "Low" quickly became a huge hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other popular songs from the album included "Elevator" and "In the Ayer".

Flo Rida rehearsing for the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto

After the success of his first album, Flo Rida appeared on many other artists' songs. He performed live on TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance.

Flo Rida released his second album, R.O.O.T.S., on March 31, 2009. The first song from this album, "Right Round" featuring Kesha, was a massive success. It broke the record for the most digital sales in one week in the US! "Right Round" used a sample from the 1985 song "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive. This song also became Flo Rida's first number-one hit in the United Kingdom. Other popular songs from R.O.O.T.S. included "Sugar" and "Jump".

Flo Rida on the set of the music video for "Sugar"

In 2009, Flo Rida also had another number-one hit in the UK with Alexandra Burke on their song "Bad Boys".

New Music and International Success (2010–2013)

Flo Rida's third album, Only One Flo (Part 1), was released on November 24, 2010. The main song from this album was "Club Can't Handle Me" featuring David Guetta. This song was also part of the Step Up 3D movie soundtrack. Other songs like "Turn Around (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" and "Who Dat Girl" also became popular.

In December 2010, Flo Rida started his own music label called International Music Group. He signed young artists like Brianna and Git Fresh to his label.

His fourth album, Wild Ones, came out in July 2012. The first song, "Good Feeling", was released in August 2011. This song used a sample from Etta James' 1962 song "Something's Got a Hold on Me". After Etta James passed away, Flo Rida dedicated the song to her. "Good Feeling" reached number 3 in the US and topped the charts in several other countries.

Flo Rida performing in 2012

The next two songs from the album were "Wild Ones" (released in December 2011) and "Whistle" (released in April 2012). "Wild Ones" became number one in many countries, and "Whistle" reached number one in 20 countries, including the United States. Flo Rida shared that "Whistle" was inspired by his love for basketball and his time as a high school basketball coach in Carol City, Florida. He said the lyrics were about teaching a new referee how to make calls in games.

In 2012, Flo Rida performed at WWE's WrestleMania XXVIII and on the America Idol finale with Jennifer Lopez. He also collaborated with Olly Murs on his song "Troublemaker" in November 2012. In 2013, he worked with Marc Mysterio on "Booty on the Floor" to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Recent Music and Legal News (2014–Present)

In 2014, Flo Rida was featured on songs by other artists, including "One Night Stand" by TWiiNS and "Got Me Runnin' Round" by Nickelback.

On September 29, 2014, Flo Rida released "G.D.F.R." featuring Sage the Gemini. This song became his tenth top 10 hit in the United States. In 2015, he released "I Don't Like It, I Love It" featuring Robin Thicke. Then, on October 15, 2015, the song "My House" was released and became a big international hit, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2016.

After his My House EP, Flo Rida continued to release new music. In 2016, he released "Dirty Mind" and "Hello Friday" featuring Jason Derulo. In 2017, his song "Cake" became very popular with a dance challenge. He also released "Hola" with Colombian singer Maluma in 2017 and "Dancer" in 2018.

Flo Rida has mentioned that he is working on his fifth studio album. In 2021, he joined Italian singer Senhit to represent San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. They performed the song "Adrenalina" and finished 22nd in the final.

Flo Rida performing in 2022

In 2022, Flo Rida released some country rap songs, including "High Heels" with Walker Hayes and "No Bad Days" with Jimmie Allen.

In January 2023, Flo Rida won a large amount of money in a lawsuit against Celsius, an energy drink company. He had an agreement to be their brand ambassador from 2014 to 2018, and he claimed they did not pay him correctly.

Discography

Studio albums

• Mail on Sunday (2008)
• R.O.O.T.S. (2009)
• Only One Flo (Part 1) (2010)
• Wild Ones (2012)

Awards and Nominations

Flo Rida has been nominated for and won many awards for his music. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Flo Rida para niños