5 Things To Know About Flo Milli

Flo Milli Is From Alabama

Flo Milli was born in Mobile, Alabama, on January 9, 2000. The "Big Steppa" rapper is one of two children, raised by both parents until their separation when she was seven years old.

In an interview with HotNewHipHop, Flo Milli revealed that after the split, she and her sister were raised by their mother. Describing life in Mobile, the star characterized it as dangerous due to high crime rates, with many incidents featured in the documentary series The First 48. Despite her hometown's challenges, Flo Milli has since relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, following her rise to success.

Flo Milli’s Hardships In High School Inspired Her To Rap

Growing up in Alabama, Flo Milli faced challenges, including being ridiculed by her peers in high school. In a conversation with Lady Gunn magazine, the emcee revealed that this bullying motivated her to pursue her music career and inspired her to prove her naysayers wrong.

“I’m never going to be in the same mindset that I was in. I feel like I’m constantly growing and evolving. So of course, my goals from five years ago, I’ve reached them so I have different goals and different inspirations,” she said. “So I’m definitely not thinking about my high school friends or peers or haters right now. Now, it’s on a bigger level. I have haters in the world. So that’s my inspiration, to prove them wrong. Or just prove to myself, honestly, growing as an artist. It’s just on a bigger level now. It’s like, I’ve accomplished this now. What’s next? What’s next?”

Flo Milli Dropped Out Of College When Her First Single, “Beef FloMix,” Went Viral

In 2019, Flo Milli's single "Beef FloMix" went viral on TikTok. This success prompted the rapper to drop out of Bishop State Community College, where she pursued a business administration degree while actively making music. In the same HotNewHipHop interview, Flo Milli reflected on how the track changed her life.

“I just felt like [school] was a distraction, it was taking up too much time. ‘Beef’ really saved the f*ck out of my life,” she explained. “When ‘Beef’ went up I was like, ‘Perfect timing, I don’t wanna be in school, I just wanna make music.’"

Further into the discussion, the "Conceited" lyricist revealed that immediately after the success of "Beef FloMix," she received numerous offers from different record labels. However, Flo Milli ultimately signed with RCA Records because she believed it was the right fit.

“It was a lot of record labels on the table, it was a lot of offers, but I felt like RCA was fit for me because—just the vibe,” she said.

Flo Milli’s Breakthrough Hit "Never Lose Me" Almost Didn't Make Her Album

In an interview with People magazine, Flo Milli revealed that her chart-topping single "Never Lose Me" almost didn't make the cut for her second studio album, Fine Ho, Stay. Despite already having songs lined up and the track showcasing a different side of her, the emcee shared that her belief in “Never Lose Me” ultimately sparked a change of heart.

"I feel like it was one of those songs I just followed my intuition with. It was so crazy. We were working on the album and that song was not going to be on the album at all. And it was also the song is a genuine feeling that I was feeling, so I was a little nervous to drop it because I don't really show this side to me," she stated. "But I'm glad that I actually listened to myself and was like, 'You know what? I'm going to just be real for a second,' and I snippetted it and then that's when I knew people was f---ing with it."

Since its release in December 2023, "Never Lose Me" has earned Flo Milli her first Billboard Hot 100 Entry and has been certified platinum, selling over a million digital copies.

Prior To Her Success, Flo Milli Used Influencers To Promote Her Music

Before her singles "Beef" and "In the Party" went viral on TikTok, Flo Milli devised a plan to promote the songs online by paying influencers to feature them in their posts.

The star's hard work eventually paid off in 2019 when she signed with RCA Records, a significant milestone in her career. In a discussion with Interview magazine, Flo Milli recounted her journey to success, detailing how she recorded music on a limited budget.

“I started working at jobs and saving up money to go to the studio. Mind you, I only got 200, 300 dollars at the most for my check. I couldn’t afford no beat, so I would just steal a beat from YouTube, make a video to it, like 30 seconds, me rapping it in my room,” she said.

“And then I would take half of my check, go to the studio, record it, and then I would take the other half of my check and I would invest in people who had a million followers, just famous dancers, or influencers, or whatever. I would be like, alright, ‘How much you charge to post my video for two days?’ And then they’ll be like, ‘Oh, this is 100 dollars,’ or whatever. So then once I posted the video and I got all the attention I wanted from it, then I would drop a song on SoundCloud. That’s how I built myself up. My first song got 20,000 listens, so that’s when I knew, like, ‘I got to keep doing this.’”

Flo Milli’s full Tiny Desk performance can be viewed on NPR’s official YouTube page.

Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.