Taken from our Winter 21 issue, order your copy here…
We’ve all had our fair share of awkward moments. Whether it be turning up to a Hinge date where our prospective other isn’t like their profile or shamefully sprinting for the bus which ends up pulling away as soon as we reach the stop. And for Alabama rapper Flo Milli, humorously hiding out in Soho House whilst on the phone to me must definitely be on her list.
Propping up her phone against a water glass, the rapper nervously greets me on my late evening call, before throwing out suggestions on what our ‘safe word’ should be (your forbidden to talk on the phone in the exclusive members club) in case a member of staff notices. Settling on ‘mayday’, the rapper slowly eases down on the snug sofa and begins to unravel her hectic day. From photoshoots to recording sessions, the rapper has been at full speed ahead since her no holds barred 2019 take on Playboi Carti’s “Beef” which has now racked up over 500 million streams and views around the world. “I was shocked when I saw the song take off”, Flo Milli recounts. “Because I just never thought that would be the song! I was so chilled in my life at that point, I had just quit my job and I just put that song out on SoundCloud. I didn’t think much of it when I dropped it but next thing you know it went viral… I don’t have any regrets about it, but if I had a certain knowledge back then maybe I would have done something different.”
Brimming with skill, confidence and finesse the artist propelled onto the scene with her slick quick-witted single, landing hard rambunctious bars with soft-toned vocals. From the brazen opening line, ‘I like cash and my hair to my ass!’ to the assertive ‘Lil’ ho you don’t want no drama’, the then 19-year-old rocked the female rap game with her thick southern accent and flow, meanwhile introducing us to her calm and collective demeanour. “The way I’ve carried myself since the release has definitely changed,” the rapper ponders. “I don’t do the same things I used to do, I feel like I take everything more serious now compared to how I was. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
As the song continued to roll into 2020, the rapper quickly became mentioned alongside a plethora of rising female talent in the scene, stamping herself alongside the likes of Megan Thee Stallion, BIA and Rico Nasty. But as the scene began to experience a meteoric rise, the pressures of being a young female in the scene also grew, with various bloggers and insiders pitting the talents against each other. But for Flo Milli, none of this phased her. “I think I have navigated behind-the-scenes pretty easy. Like, it’s no issue for me. One thing I will say is that I don’t really go to as many places as I used to, because some people know who I am and I’m not used to that. Even today, I went to get something to eat and these girls that were next to me knew who I was. Situations like that make me think things, I can’t just step out the same way I used to. But in terms of being a female rapper, I am just myself. I don’t try to be anyone else because what’s the point? The best advice I ever received when entering the scene was, ‘You gotta get it!’ and that’s really important to me because it makes me want to be consistent and stay creative. But also enjoy the ride.”
