This week I came to a crossroad. It’s not the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I’ve mentioned many times in the past that I operate Weekly Music Commentary with an editorial calendar. Most of the time posts are picked months in advance of their publish dates. However, there are times when I do move certain featured artists around based upon relative news or just an opportunity for better planning. That second reason is the one that applies this week. I was faced with three young, female artists. All about the same age and relatively new to hip hop, but all on the verge of really breaking through. I don’t think I would’ve been wrong in choosing one of the others, but I think I made a good choice in featuring Flo Milli.
Once I really started to learn more facts and information about Flo Milli, it helped me understand she is a true difference-maker. Nevertheless, every time I feature a new young artist I realize that the older readers may not know anything about them. That means I must get it right. The artist on the rise must rise in the near future. I admit I am not always right about every artist, but for the most part Weekly Music Commentary has a good track record. For now we will introduce the rising star today, and wait to see how she develops.
Tamia Monique Carter was born on January 9, 2000 in Mobile, Alabama, where she was also raised. 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. 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.
One of the first things that stands out when discussing rapper Flo Milli is her origin – Mobile, Alabama. When speaking of Southern Rappers Georgia seems to always come to the forefront. Florida has delivered some standouts as well. Texas has also brought us many rising stars. Not to say that there are no rappers coming out of Alabama. There are quite a few making national news in hip hop. Flo Milli is right among those forging ahead.
Flo Milli’s Alabama upbringing opened my eyes to some real similarities between she and I. My mother was born in Birmingham, Alabama and both her mother and father’s family come from the state. In fact, much of the family moved north while her father’s family stayed in the area. I was raised with some of the same sensibilities that Flo Milli’s family inculcated into her heart and soul. Her interviews have shown that her Alabama upbringing has prepared her for so much more.
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.” At 21 years old, Flo Milli’s high school experience was not that long ago. Prior to her breakthrough, she was attending college, and had worked a number of jobs, including at a movie theater, at a phone retailer, at Ross, and also as a babysitter.
In October 2018, Flo Milli recorded the original version of her breakout single, “Beef FloMix”, a freestyle over the instrumental of Playboi Carti and Ethereal’s track “Beef” It went viral on Instagram and other social media sites, including TikTok, reaching number two on Spotify’s Viral 50 in April 2019. A fully-produced version of the song was released in July 2019, and received over 46 million streams on Spotify. Flo Milli’s follow-up single was “In the Party,” released in October 2019. She performed at Rolling Loud Los Angeles in December 2019. By the end of 2019, she had signed to RCA Records and ’94 Sounds. She definitely had arrived and music fans and critics alike were taking notice. 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.”
McKinney used the word versatile to describe Flo Milli. That’s appropriate indeed. Her music has already traveled far beyond Mobile and even Alabama. Still, there are several factors that will stabilize Flo Milli as she makes her rise toward stardom. The main thing will be her family. During her Spotify RADAR feature, we all got the chance to see and hear her mother and grandmother speak about Flo Milli growing up. There were signs very early that Flo Milli would be here one day.
As I stated before, I could see and hear some similarities between her mother, aunt and grandmother and my own. They may not fully understand it, but they have provided a very good foundation for Flo Milli to build her career. She will grow to become a strong woman with a voice for change in an entire industry. The winds are shifting, and women are delivering music and it is being heard by fans worldwide.
Speaking about her debut and critically acclaimed mixtape “Ho, Why Is You Here?”, she was asked if there was anything – specifically – she wanted to push with this project. Flo comments: “I wanted to emphasize having strength and a voice as a young female. I didn’t want to make everything about boys and instead learn to love yourself, and to love yourself no matter what. You can chase your dreams at a young age, and that’s what I wanted to put across to my listeners”.
Even at the very young age og 21, Flo Milli is not only growing, but through her music she is in turn inspiring other young women. When I heard about the need for women to find equality in the world of music, right away I knew that there were young women on the way to push the envelope. That’s good for us all. We need more young artists like Flo Milli to come on the scene and create the equality needed. The key is to make the push together. Without knocking each other down in the process of reaching the height of success. There is room for everyone.
“My number one piece of advice would be to not compare yourself to others on social media,” Flo Milli adds. “I know social media is a big thing in our generation and people of my age tend to do that, looking at whether the other person has more success than you do; I would say do not let that stop you. If anything, let that empower you to do better than your peers. A lot of people get discouraged and don’t pursue things because they aren’t good enough. As women we possess the ultimate superpower and create life! Everyone should always stick to their individuality and move at their own pace to the top.”