Tamia Monique Carter[2][3] (born January 9, 2000),[4] known professionally as Flo Milli, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence after her 2018 single "Beef FloMix" and its 2019 follow up, "In the Party" both reached virality on TikTok; the latter received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In late 2019, she signed a recording contract with Justin Goldman's '94 Sounds, an imprint of RCA Records.[5]
Flo Milli | |
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![]() Flo Milli in 2024 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Tamia Monique Carter |
Born | Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | January 9, 2000
Genres | |
Occupations | Rapper |
Discography | Flo Milli discography |
Years active | 2015–present |
Labels | |
Website | flomilli |
Both songs were issued as lead singles for Carter's debut mixtape, Ho, Why Is You Here? (2020), which was met with critical acclaim and placed on Rolling Stone's list of the Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time. It moderately entered the Billboard 200; her debut studio album, You Still Here, Ho? (2022) was met with similar positive reception despite failing to chart. The latter spawned the single, "Conceited", which received gold certification by the RIAA. "Never Lose Me", the lead single of her second studio album, Fine Ho, Stay (2024), marked her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked within the top 20.
Carter was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards and 2021 BET Awards.
Early life
editCarter was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama.[3] She wrote her first song at 9 years old, and began rapping at age 11, forming rap group Real & Beautiful, later known as Pink Mafia, which she dissolved at age 14.[6][7] After watching an episode of BET's music video countdown show 106 & Park that featured Nicki Minaj, she was inspired and began writing short verses that grew into songs.[8] Speaking about her high school experience, she said, "I dealt with everything, so it just taught me that the only thing that matters is my opinion of myself."[9] She released her first solo song, "No Hook", in 2015.[8] She grew up listening to Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Kesha, Shakira, Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton and Erykah Badu.[10][8][11]
Career
edit2019–2021: Ho, Why Is You Here?
editIn October 2018, Flo Milli recorded the original version of her breakout single, "Beef FloMix", a freestyle over the instrumental of rapper and producer Ethereal's 2014 track "Beef" featuring rapper Playboi Carti.[8] It went viral on Instagram and other social media sites, including TikTok,[12] reaching number two on Spotify's Viral 50 in April 2019.[13][14] A fully-produced version of the song was released in July 2019, and received over 46 million streams on Spotify.[15] Flo Milli's follow-up single was "In the Party", released in October 2019.[16] She performed at Rolling Loud Los Angeles in December 2019.[17] By the end of 2019, she had signed to record executive Justin Goldman's label '94 Sounds and RCA Records.[6] In February 2020, she released the single "My Attitude".[18] Her singles "Not Friendly" and "Eat It Up" were released in March and April 2020 respectively.[19][20] In June 2020, Flo Milli released the J. White Did It-produced single "Like That Bitch". A music video for the track was released in July 2020, alongside another single, "Weak".[21][22] Flo Milli's debut mixtape, Ho, Why Is You Here?, was released on July 24, 2020, to critical praise.[15][23][2] It received a placement on Rolling Stone's "200 Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time" list in 2022.[24]
On August 10, 2020, it was announced that Flo Milli had signed an exclusive global co-publishing deal with Pulse Music Group. The company described the deal, which encompasses her entire catalog, as "a highly competitive signing situation".[25] Singer Saygrace featured Flo Milli on the remix of her single, "Boys Ain't Shit", in August 2020.[26] She appeared in the music video for G-Eazy's single, "Down", featuring Latto, in September 2020.[27] Flo Milli was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards in September 2020.[28]
In January 2021, Flo Milli released the single, "Roaring 20s".[29] In June 2021, she was included on the XXL Freshman Class of 2021.[30] She was nominated for Best New Artist at the BET Awards 2021.[31]
2022–2023: You Still Here, Ho?
editOn July 20, 2022, she released her debut studio album, You Still Here, Ho?.[32]
In 2023, Flo Milli released an extended version of You Still Here, Ho? with three additional tracks. Continuing her run of releases, Flo Milli issued multiple singles in 2023, ahead of her upcoming studio album Fine Ho, Stay, including "Fruit Loop", "Chocolate Rain" and "Never Lose Me".[33]
In December 2023, Flo Milli released the single "Never Lose Me", which became her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 84 and peaking at number 18 on the chart.[34]
2024–present: Fine Ho, Stay
editOn March 15, 2024, Flo Milli released her second studio album, Fine Ho, Stay.[35] She was named as the special guest on rapper Gunna's 2024 North American tour, The Bittersweet Tour, performing at 16 shows from May to June.[36]
Public image
editJon Caramanica of The New York Times described Flo Milli as a "clever, cheerful lyricist".[37] Jessica McKinney of Complex wrote, "The Mobile, Alabama rapper's bubbly, intoxicating delivery defies regional sounds, making her a versatile artist whose music can travel well beyond her hometown. She's a star."[12] Rapper ppcocaine cited Flo Milli as an influence on their music.[38]
Discography
edit- Ho, Why Is You Here? (2019)
- You Still Here, Ho? (2022)
- Fine Ho, Stay (2024)
Awards and nominations
editOrganization | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BET Hip Hop Awards | 2020 | Best New Artist | Herself | Nominated | [28] |
BET Awards | 2021 | [31] | |||
MTV Video Music Awards | 2023 | Push Performance of the Year | "Conceited" | Nominated | [39] |
MTV Europe Music Awards | Herself | Nominated | [40] | ||
Give Her FlowHERS Awards | The Bloom Award | Herself | Won | [41] |
References
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- ^ a b Zidel, Alex (July 24, 2020). "Who Is Flo Milli?". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Harris, Hunter (July 30, 2020). "Flo Milli Summer". Vulture. OCLC 1118502440. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Flo Milli Birthday". National Today. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Elias Leight (January 26, 2021). "Buying Beats for Viral Songs Is Becoming Popular (and Messy) Business". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Kess, Bryan (August 14, 2020). "One to Watch: How Flo Milli Plotted Her Success Years Ago". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ Akik, Chorouk (March 19, 2020). "Rap Sisterhood: How Cardi B supports her fellow female MCs". Kulturehub. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Seabrook III, Robby (August 29, 2019). "The Break Presents: Flo Milli". XXL Mag. ISSN 1093-0647. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Jalloh, Twiggy (August 19, 2020). "Flo Milli On Being A Tik Tok Sensation, 'WAP', And The Problem With Men". British Vogue. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Sophia (July 24, 2020). "gal, put your records on: a party playlist for introverts from Alabama rapper Flo Milli". gal-dem. ISSN 2517-6242. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ Gary Hamilton (March 28, 2024). "Flo Milli's new album proves the 'Never Lose Me' rising artist's dreams of greatness are coming true". AP News. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ a b McKinney, Jessica (January 14, 2020). "Rappers to Watch in 2020". Complex. ISSN 1538-6848. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Leight, Elias (June 6, 2019). "TikTok Proved It Can Make Hits – Its Next Test Is Creating Stars". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- ^ Jones, Zoë (December 11, 2019). "5 TikTok Songs From 2019 We'll Actually Remember". Complex. ISSN 1538-6848. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ a b "Rapper Flo Milli Is Back With Another Impressive Track "Weak"". Wonderland. August 4, 2020. ISSN 1747-8448. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ McKinney, Jessica (March 26, 2020). "12 Songs Blowing Up on TikTok (That Are Actually Worth Listening to)". Complex. ISSN 1538-6848. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ DeVille, Chris (September 30, 2019). "Rolling Loud Los Angeles 2019 Lineup". Stereogum. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Hahn, Bryan (February 10, 2020). "Flo Milli is your new substitute teacher in "My Attitude" video". The Fader. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Rashed, Ayana (March 31, 2020). "Flo Milli Releases New Track "Not Friendly" via RCA Records". Respect. ISSN 2150-8674. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Rashed, Ayana (April 22, 2020). "Flo Milli Releases New Track And Visual For "Eat It Up"". Respect. ISSN 2490-9548. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ Rashed, Ayana (July 10, 2020). "Flo Milli Releases New Track "Weak" — Shares Visual For "Like That B*tch" — 'Ho, Why Is You Here?' EP Out This Month Via RCA Records". Respect. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jon (July 10, 2020). "Flo Milli delivers new video for "Like That Bitch"". Revolt. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ Zetkor, Teodor (August 5, 2020). "Flo Milli's Confidence Is Infectious on Debut Mixtape 'Ho, why is you here ?'". Exclaim!. ISSN 1207-6600. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ Aaron, Charles; Conteh, Mankaprr; Dolan, Jon; Dukes, Will; Gage, Dewayne; Gross, Joe; Grow, Kory; Hoard, Christian; Ihaza, Jeff; Lopez, Julyssa; Reeves, Mosi; Phillips, Yoh; Shachtman, Noah; Sheffield, Rob; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Weingarten, Christopher (June 7, 2022). "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ Stassen, Murray (August 11, 2020). "Pulse signs rapper Flo Milli to exclusive global publishing deal". Music Business Worldwide. ISSN 2632-5357. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ Rashed, Ayana (August 16, 2020). "Saygrace Teams Up With Flo Milli On "Boys Ain't Shit"". RESPECT. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ "G-Eazy Returns with New Video for 'Down' Feat. Mulatto". The Source. September 4, 2020. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ a b Grein, Paul (September 29, 2020). "DaBaby Leads All Nominees For 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards: Here's the Complete List of Nominations". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (January 15, 2021). "Flo Milli Samples Fiddler on the Roof for New Song "Roaring 20s": Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "XXL 2021 Freshman Class: Flo Milli, Coi Leray, Pooh Shiesty, 42 Dugg, Iann Dior, and More". Pitchfork. June 16, 2021. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ a b Clark, Anne Victoria (June 27, 2021). "Megan Thee Stallion Leads the 2021 BET Awards Winners". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ Gularte, Alejandra (July 19, 2022). "Flo Milli Dropped You Still Here, Ho? Two Days Early". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ "Flo Milli reveals new 'You Still Here, Ho ? (Extended)' album". March 27, 2023. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
- ^ Malachi, JaJuan (December 30, 2023). "Flo Milli Nets First Hot 100 Entry With 'Never Lose Me,' Just as Bryson Tiller Remix Drops". Blavity. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ says, Anne (March 15, 2024). "Album: Flo Milli 'Fine Ho, Stay' - Rap Radar". rapradar.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Legaspi, Althea (February 20, 2024). "Gunna Announces 2024 the Bittersweet Tour". RollingStone. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
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