FEATURE:
Revisiting…
Flo Milli - Ho, why is you here ?
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MIXTAPES and E.P.s tend not to get the same attention…
PHOTO CREDIT: Munachi Osegbu for COMPLEX
as albums when it comes to reviews and sales. Although it got to seventy-eight in the Billboard 200 in the U.S., there were some great reviews for Flo Milli’s 2020 mixtape, Ho, why is you here ?. I previously featured the Alabama rapper last year for my Spotlight feature. An incredible artist (real name Tamia Carter), I think we might see an album or further mixtape at some point this year. Her incredible mixtape featured high on the best album of the year lists from various publications. COMPLEX, The New York Times, NPR, and Rolling Stone all put it in their top twenty of 2020. This is a mixtape that requires people to check back in and play it without interruption. A fantastic work of innovation, power and intent from one of the greatest young rappers in the world, I am going to get to a couple of positive reviews. Prior to that, COMPLEX spoke with Flo Milli in 2020, where they asked her about the reception and popularity of Ho, why is you here ?, and how she would describe her sound:
“On July 24, Alabama's brightest new star dropped her debut project, Ho, Why Is You Here? She hoped all her hard work would pay off, but the response to the tape exceeded expectations. Hours after it hit streaming services, Flo Milli’s name was trending on Twitter, garnering overwhelmingly positive reactions from fans, as well as fellow artists like Kehlani, Janelle Monae, City Girls, and more. But Flo Milli tells Complex that she was most shaken by Missy Elliott's display of support.
"That gave me shivers," she recalls. "I think I was cooking when she did that. I had to do a double take."
Fans are raving over Flo Milli’s effortlessly fun and confident delivery on songs like "Weak," "May I," and "Send the Addy." The 20-year-old rapper, whose breakout song "Beef FloMix" went viral on TikTok, says she is guided by a philosophy to always do what she wants. Now she wants her listeners to feel the confidence to do the same. "I just like to make people feel confident and hot," she notes. "I want to raise their vibe. That's why I make fun music. So when people are sort of down, they could just listen to it and turn up."
The last few years have been pivotal for women in rap, as more acts have found commercial success and praise. In addition to bringing a "youthful" energy to the table, Flo Milli says she is representing for Black women of a darker complexion. And as her platform grows larger, she wants to inspire women to feel more confident in their own skin.
With the successful release of Ho, Why Is You Here? under her belt, Flo Milli is already focused on what's next. She is thinking about her follow-up project and eyeing potential collaborations from southern artists like DaBaby, Lil Baby, Mulatto, and Rico Nasty. Complex caught up with her to talk about Ho, Why Is You Here?, what "Flo Milli shit" really means, and her long term goals in rap. The interview, lightly edited for clarity, is below.
PHOTO CREDIT: Munachi Osegbu for COMPLEX
How did it feel to wake up and see that you were trending because of Ho, Why Is You Here?
It felt so good. Honestly, it's starting to hit me now. I wanted to know how it really feels to actually be reaping the rewards for your hard work, because I've worked so hard on that mixtape. People don't even know what happened behind the scenes. But I really learned how it is to be a full-blown artist, and it's not easy. But that's what makes it beautiful, just being able to go through the good and the bad and then have the outcome be beautiful.
Who was the most surprising artist who reached out to you and reacted to your project?
Most definitely, Missy Elliot. That was crazy. I love her so much, and I’ve been listening to her since I was younger. That gave me shivers. I think I was cooking when she did that. I had to do a double take. I didn't believe it at first, but that one really made me and my mom proud.
How would you describe your sound for someone who isn’t familiar with Flo Milli?
I would describe my sound as sassy, fun, and kind of poppy, but it still has that way of trap rap to it. I would say playful nursery rhymes. I guess you would say trap music, but it's a mixture of a lot of different things. I just like to make people feel confident and hot. I want to raise their vibe. That's why I make fun music. So, when people are sort of down, they could just listen to it and turn up.
What was the writing and recording process like?
It was hard. People have to realize artists have regular day-to-day lives. So, we go through things. We're not robots. We don't just get a free pass in life. But going through the things that I did go through, I learned a lot of lessons, and I would say that helped me expand my writing. So I would say it was extremely hard at times, and then sometimes it was really easy. It just depends on how much work you're willing to put in. And I guess it taught me that I don't give up, and I'm very strong and determined when I want something.
What's your favorite track on the project?
I don't know. I'm kind of arguing with "Pussycat Doll" or "Send the Addy." "Send the Addy" is my vibe when I'm chilling or driving. I like "Send the Addy," but then I kept listening to "Pussycat Doll." It's kind of hard to choose, but I'm going to have to go with "Send The Addy."
People don't talk about Alabama's music culture enough. Can you describe what the Alabama sound is?
Well, to give you an idea, Doe B is from Alabama. And then Gucci Mane is from Alabama. And Rich Boy. So, if you really pay attention to the pattern, it used to be a very trappy sound. I would say the way Gucci raps, but kind of similar to Atlanta. Because you know, we're so close to Atlanta. But then you might find certain people who are extremely different. So, some people pick up sounds from other places. But I would say for the most part, it’s very Southern trappy. But I'm the first female coming out of Alabama. I kind of set the tone and I set the bar very high, because it's not any female rappers that ever came out of Alabama. So, maybe it's the wave that’s about to be starting”.
I think it is a good point to source a couple of reviews for the incredible Ho, why is you here ?. A sensational mixtape that should have charted higher and should be played more today, I hope people do revisit it. This is what AllMusic remarked in their review:
“Alabama rapper Flo Milli broke through to mainstream success when her 2018 single "Beef Flomix" went viral. The song's mix of bouncy instrumental hooks and relentless, attitude-heavy lyrics put Flo Milli in the same camp as other brash, confident rap superstars like Cardi B, City Girls, and Megan Thee Stallion. The response was enough to give successive singles tens of millions of streams as well. Flo Milli's debut mixtape Ho, Why Is You Here? collects the best of her standout singles -- "Weak," "In the Party," "Like That Bitch," and the anthem that started it all, "Beef Flomix" -- as well as several previously unreleased tracks for a brief but powerful explosion of swagger and intensity. The singles already established as hits are unsurprisingly some of the best material on the project, with "Weak" standing out as one of the more inventive tunes. The song samples the SWV song of the same name as Flo Milli lists off all the men pursuing her romantically and shrugs them off with a smirk. The R&B-informed instrumental and front-and-center vocals are a nice detour from the rest of the mixtape's nonstop flexing over trappy pop beats, but it's just one of the many infectious moments that make Ho, Why Is You Here? so engaging and so fun”.
I want to end with Pitchfork’s opinions about the staggering and hugely impressive 2020 mixtape from Flo Milli. If you have not heard it, then you really need to seek it out now:
“Ho, why is you here ? hews closely to the formula that made Flo Milli a viral star. She likes snappy, bass-heavy beats that give her ample space to fire off reams of insults and flexes. “Beef FloMix,” which began as a freestyle snippet on Instagram and was later boosted into a TikTok hit through a dance challenge, is her standard mode. She tends to frame disses as me/you comparisons (“I do what I please and you do what I ask/He love my confidence and that’s what you lack”) that snowball into larger-than-life boasts. In the song’s single verse she shouts out tween group OMG Girlz, likens her cash-filled pockets to K. Michele’s ass, and claims she’s guarded like an Obama. It’s not surprising that her music lends itself to dances and videos; she’s a visual speaker.
Over and over, Flo Milli turns heads when she enters the room and mows down an inexhaustible horde of haters. She opens “In the Party” with a perfect line: “Dicks up when I step up in the party.” On “19,” her entrance lowers the self-esteem of those around her; elsewhere her shine leaves necks near-broken. All this attention breeds contempt, but Flo Milli will gladly be the villain. “Slap a bitch in her face if she askin’ for it,” she says on “Send the Addy.” “Like That Bitch” features a moment where she discovers and ends a tiff in the same breath. “Actin like we got beef/I didn’t know that you exist!” she yelps, elongating the vowel in “know.” The conflicts are all so definitively petty, which is what makes this record so fun.
Her constant barbs are bolstered by her subtly spry cadences. Her flows are conversational and loose despite being strictly metered. The record is largely devoid of melody, but Flo Milli doesn’t need to sing to emote. She has an intuitive sense of when to throttle flows for emphasis, as on “Pussycat Doll,” which is full of tiny pauses that set up her punchlines. “Make a nigga blow a check on me/Save his number under ‘We gon see,’” she jokes. Her performance on “Weak,” a J White Did It production, is fleet and buoyant, flipping SWV’s “Weak” on its head yet preserving the song’s warmth. “These niggas weak/They been texting me all week/Just let me be,” Flo Milli huffs with exasperation.
The production isn’t always as spirited as Flo Milli’s performances. “Scuse Me” is an outright dud; it sounds like a parody of a JetsonMade beat and Flo Milli’s hook is uncharacteristically strained. Otherwise, a current of self-discovery runs through the beats. “Like That Bitch” and “Not Friendly” embrace the minimalism of snap music, which has long been a testing ground for experimenting with flows without sacrificing bounce. (Incidentally, “Not Friendly” interpolates Soulja Boy’s “Gucci Bandana.”) And the bouncy bass and bright keys on “In The Party” and “Send the Addy” evoke the charm of bubblegum trap, which tapped into the joy of a subgenre often characterized by stress and struggle.
There’s certainly a disparity between Flo Mill the cocksure persona and Flo Milli the budding artist, but even when Flo Milli is spitballing ideas trying to see what sticks, she’s a force of nature. She once described her catchphrase “Flo Milli shit” as the mantra for “My alter ego, which is what I am most of the time,” and Ho, why is you here ? sells that odd dynamic. She’s still figuring out her music, but she knows exactly what she wants it to be”.
I am excited to see where Flo Milli’s career heads, as she is a sensational and hugely promising artist who is among a group of incredible women redefining and owning Rap and Hip-Hop. It is wonderful to see. Let’s hope that there is more investigation of her 2020 diamond, Ho, why is you here ?. If you are not aware of her or the mixtape, then you need to spend a few moments…
RECTIFYING this oversight.