C. F. Earl - Flo Rida

Flo Rida

by C.F. Earl

Superstars of Hip-Hop

Alicia Keys

Beyonc

Black Eyed Peas

Ciara

Dr. Dre

Drake

Eminem

50 Cent

Flo Rida

Hip Hop: A Short History

Jay-Z

Kanye West

Lil Wayne

LL Cool J

Ludacris

Mary J. Blige

Notorious B.I.G.

Rihanna

Sean Diddy Combs

Snoop Dogg

T.I.

T-Pain

Timbaland

Tupac

Usher

Flo Rida

by C.F. Earl

Mason Crest

Flo Rida

Mason Crest 370 Reed Road Broomall, Pennsylvania 19008 www.masoncrest.com

Copyright 2013 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Earl, C. F.

Flo Rida / by C.F. Earl.

p. cm. (Superstars of hip hop)

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-4222-2525-7 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4222-2508-0 (series hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4222-2551-6 (softcover) ISBN 978-1-4222-9227-3 (ebook)

1. Flo RidaJuvenile literature. 2. Rap musiciansUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. I. Title.

ML3930.F57E27 2012

782.421649092dc22

[B]

2011005803

Produced by Harding House Publishing Services, Inc.

www.hardinghousepages.com

Interior Design by MK Bassett-Harvey.

Cover design by Torque Advertising & Design.

Publishers notes:

All quotations in this book come from original sources and contain the spelling and grammatical inconsistencies of the original text.

The Web sites mentioned in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for Web sites that have changed their addresses or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher will review and update the Web site addresses each time the book is reprinted.

DISCLAIMER: The following story has been thoroughly researched, and to the best of our knowledge, represents a true story. While every possible effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher will not assume liability for damages caused by inaccuracies in the data, and makes no warranty on the accuracy of the information contained herein. This story has not been authorized nor endorsed by Flo Rida.

Contents

Hip-Hop lingo

Gospel is a type of music that started in African American churches.

Rap is a kind of music where rhymes are chanted, often with music in the background. When people rap, they make up these rhymes, sometimes off the top of their heads.

Mixtapes are collections of a few songs put on a CD or given away for free on the Internet without being professionally recorded.

A person who auditioned sang or performed for someone to see if that person liked his work and wanted to give him a job.

Touring means traveling around and playing music for people at concerts.

A hype man is a rapper who performs onstage with a more famous artist. He gets the crowd excited with his own rapping whenever the main performer isnt rapping.

Rapping is also known as MCing. The use of the term MC when referring to a rhymer started in the dance halls of Jamaica, where the MC (short for master of ceremonies) would introduce the different acts, make announcements, and say a toast in the form of a rhyme.

R&B stands for rhythm and blues. Its a kind of music that African Americans made popular in the 1940s. It has a very strong beat. Today, its a style of music thats a lot like hip-hop.

A demo is a rough, early version of a CD before the real thing comes out.

A record deal is an agreement an artist signs with a music company, saying they will pay him for making music and they will release his albums.

A record label is a company that produces music for singers and groups and puts out CDs.

Today, Flo Rida is one of raps biggest hit makers. His music is on the radio, on TV, in movies, and in clubs. Songs like Low and Right Round have made him a star.

Flo Rida wasnt always a star, though. Hes worked hard to get where he is. When he started in music, he was just a young man with a dream living in Miami.

Early Life

Flo Ridas real name is Tramar Dillard. He was born on December 16, 1979.

Tramar was born in Carol City, Florida. Carol City is a neighborhood of Miami. Growing up, Tramar lived in the 187th Street Projects. His mother raised him. She and Tramars father split up when he was very young.

Tramar had seven sisters. His mother raised all eight of her children on her own. Tramars father wasnt completely out of his sons life. But Tramar grew up mostly with his sisters and mother. He was the only boy in the house.

Carol City was a very tough neighborhood. Tramars mother always told her children to stay out of trouble. She told them that even if they lived in a rough place, they didnt have to become rough themselves. Tramar took these words to heart. He knew friends who got into trouble. Some even went to jail. But Tramar always chose a better path. He remembered what his mother taught him. He did his best to make the right choices.

Flo Rida grew up in a Miami neighborhood called Carol City. The neighborhood wasnt always the best place to grow up, but it helped to shape Flo Rida into the person he is today.

Music helped Tramar stay out of trouble. Tramars father was a musician. And though he wasnt always around, he did support Tramars love of music. He always told Tramar to express what he felt and thought through music.

Tramars sisters were also a big part of the music he listened to growing up. His sisters would show Tramar all sorts of different music. Some of his sisters even formed their own group.

Though Tramar loved many different types of music, he loved in his aunts garage. He got better and better at rapping and making music.

When Tramar was in the ninth grade, he had a chance to rap with a group. The group was called The Groundhoggz. The group was looking for new members. Tramar for them and joined right away.

The Groundhoggz started making music together. They had concerts around Miami. Tramar was on his way to making it as a rapper. Even though his dreams were still a long way off, he had his start in music.

A Chance at a Dream

Then the Groundhoggz played a show that really helped Tramar move toward his rap dreams. The group had a concert with the rapper Scarface. A friend of the rapper Fresh Kid Ice was at the show. He saw Tramars skill. He knew that Tramar had talent and needed a break. He told Fresh Kid Ice about the young Miami rapper.