American rap superstar Flo Rida is back in the game with the release of My House, his fourth EP, and the amount of PR that has surrounded its release has been phenomenal; TV performances (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The View and more), a temporary take over of mega sports channel ESPN (he also became their artist of the month!), and not to mention various competitions for his hardcore fans including a chance to hang with him while he was at ESPN and a special performance at school. It will be interesting to see where Flo had gone since the release of his smash EP Wild Ones in 2012, will we be in store for something a little different?
Current single Once In A Lifetime kicks things off with its chipmunked hook, nothing innovative but interesting enough, and soon Flo raps in with a story of this unique girl he would give everything up for, again nothing too groundbreaking going on here; title track My House is as welcoming as it is laid back, you feel obliged to unwind and relax with the rapper himself, obviously the intended reaction with its warm keys and lifting vibes. Robin Thicke and Verdine White team up with Flo for I Don’t Like It, I Love It, its bass line and guitar strums are appealing but the melody gets a little bland after a while. Last year singer Jason Derulo liked to see women wiggle, now whenever Flo Rida is with that girl he likes he has a Wobble in his knees, nothing too unexpected here as he raps about how special this girl is, just like a decent bottle of grog and like he hit the jackpot.
The upbeat dance number Here It Is features Chris Brown, it’s catchy as hell but predictable, boy sees girl then wants girl and tries to win girl by letting her know he has the “dollars to sponsor”. Lead single G.D.F.R (Going Down For Real) features Sage Gemini and Lookas, the trio team up to bring you the tamest sexualised rap track possibly out there, it became single material when the line “ya coming home with me” was written…well, the catching beat probably had something to do with it too; That’s What I Like (feat. Fitz) has a feel good hook and an uplifting vibe, Flo Rida has a knack for delivering tracks with memorable choruses (the best being Wild Ones, in this writer’s opinion).
While My House definitely brings the Flo Rida the charts and his fans have grown to love back to the table, it’s a shame that there’s not a lot of experimenting going on; sure we see Flo working with different artists on a handful of these tracks, but we’re not hearing anything that sounds new or unique. While his most devoted fans probably don’t want to see their favourite artist go through some musical changes, it wouldn’t hurt Flo Rida’s career if he were to suddenly be influenced by different sounds and a broader array of concepts; sex, money, alcohol and name dropping won’t always cut the mustard, but kudos for making some rhymes about those you have a deep affection for. Releasing mainstream sounding music works for Flo Rida, he has found his niche, but for those who are less convinced that his sound his progressing it’s a bit of a let down. Buy it if you love Flo Rida, but maybe don’t if you willingly avoid what typically tops the charts.
