Flo Rida 'R.O.O.T.S.' album

After Flo Rida's debut smash hit "Low" featuring T-Pain stood atop the charts last year, many thought duplicating the same success would be an unlikely task for the rapid-fire styled rapper.

But the hits kept coming for the six-foot-three artist, who is a Florida native. He has held down the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the past five weeks with his first single "Right Round" featuring Kesha. The high-energy dance single has also sold almost two million in digital sales.

Even his second single, "Sugar" with Wynter Gordon is currently climbing the charts.

Now with his second disc "R.O.O.T.S.," now in stores, Flo Rida hopes his pre-album release momentum can result into more commercial appeal. In a recent interview, he sat down at Atlantic Records - his label's office - to talk about his surging success, his defining trip to Africa and how he compares his career to bench pressing.

Flo Rida interview
AP: How did you come up with the album title?

Flo Rida: "It stands for "Route Of Overcoming The Struggle." When I was in Africa for the MTV Awards, I remember when me and my Poe Boy family members were leaving the airport and watching people walk like 30 miles for food or to their home. Just to touch the soil after reading about it blew my mind. They always had a smile on their face, no matter what type of money they had. It kind of reminded me of my situation before being signed. No matter what type of money I had to go to the studio, I still tried and showed I was dedicated.

AP: A lot of new rappers these days seem to have one hit and disappear; How have you managed to capture the imagination of rap and pop in a big way twice?

Flo Rida: You never know what's a hit record. What I try to do is make sure I feel the soul of the record. The production, my lyricism and the flow needs to be right. I'll take all my colleagues at the record label and make sure I'm not the only one saying it's hot.

AP: How surprised are you to see "Right Round" doing better than "Low" sales wise?

Flo Rida: I didn't see it coming. But when I performed on stage for one of the first times in front of about 20,000 people, they were looking at me like Kiss was on stage performing - some rock star-type stuff. With the success it has had, I definitely wouldn't have ever known for it to be like this.

AP: What's your favourite song on the album?

Flo Rida: It's got to be "Never." I was obedient to my mom. It definitely talks about the way I looked at life, growing up in the projects when my homeboys would do crazy things but I didn't. I was my own leader. It shows that you should have faith, never hold your head down, never fear man.

AP: You went from handing out mixtapes from the trunk of your car in Carol City, Fla. to now selling music worldwide. How was it to see the whole process grow from then until now?

Flo Rida: I remember when I couldn't lift like 50 pounds. But as I dedicated myself over time, I got stronger and stronger. I went from 50 pounds to 180 to 225 to now benching 400. It showed me that gradually things can happen, if you put your time into it. You can climb to the top by going step by step.

AP: There was a report saying you dropped the song "Sweat," featuring Chris Brown, because of the singer's alleged attack on girlfriend Rihanna. Can you clear up what happened?

Flo Rida: We had a deadline and was just trying to work the business out. It came to us when we were rapping up the album. There were others that didn't make the cut as well. I did an interview where someone misquoted me. But definitely, it was a hot record - so, we can probably put it on something else.

AP: Do you see yourself working with him in the future?

Flo Rida: Yeah, he a cool dude. I'm open to any talented artist.

Flo Rida ROOTS information
There’s less than one day to go until the arrival of one of the most eagerly awaited releases of the year: “R.O.O.T.S.,” the new album from Poe Boy/Atlantic recording artist Flo Rida. The collection drops in stores and online tomorrow, March 31st, as Flo Rida continues to make history with his record-breaking #1 smash single, “Right Round.” The song has become the fastest-selling digital single in history, reaching the two million mark in record time, with over 2.2 million sold in just 6 weeks.

“Right Round” continues its reign at #1 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” for the fifth consecutive week, while also holding the top spot on the “Hot Digital Songs” ranking for the same period. The single – which is also standing strong at #1 on iTunes’ “Top Hip Hop/Rap Songs” chart – recently shattered the all-time one-week digital single sales record previously held by Flo Rida’s own game-changing debut, “Low (Feat. T-Pain).” “Right Round” sold over 636,000 downloads in the week following its February 10th release, far exceeding the record-setting 467,000 sales week of “Low” in January 2008. What’s more, “Right Round” holds the record for most downloads sold in the first week of release, giving it the highest digital single chart debut ever.

Flo Rida’s new single, “Sugar (Feat. Wynter),” makes a sweet debut on this week’s “Hot 100” chart. The song lands at #25, marking the chart’s highest debut this week. Both “Right Round” and “Sugar” are currently Top 10 on iTunes’ “Top Songs” chart. “Sugar” also becomes the third song from “R.O.O.T.S.” to chart on the “Hot 100” before the album has even been released.

“Right Round” is currently lighting it up at multi-format radio outlets nationwide, coming in at #1 on the CHR/Pop charts and #2 at Rhythmic. The song’s companion video recently had its “360” premiere on all MTV networks and is now in rotation at MTV, MTV2, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, mtvU, MTV.com, and MTV2.com. The clip has also just been added to rotation at FUSE and is featured on the network’s No.1 Countdown Hip Hop and No.1 Countdown Pop.

Flo Rida and “Right Round” have also proven to be worldwide phenomena – the single is currently #1 in Canada, Ireland, and France; a top 3 smash in the United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, and Belgium; and a top 5 favorite in Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

For the past several weeks, iTunes has released several songs and videos from “R.O.O.T.S.,” each download being part of iTunes’ “Complete My Album” countdown to the release of “R.O.O.T.S.” Consumers can purchase the full album starting March 31st at a reduced price based on the album tracks and videos they’ve already purchased.

In addition, “R.O.O.T.S.” is now available for pre-order at Flo’s own www.officialflo.com, as well as via the Atlantic Records webstore, located at store.atlanticrecords.com/content/Flo_Rida.htm. All pre-orders will receive an instant download of the “Right Round” MP3 and video as well as an autographed photo.

“Right Round” is currently the #1 most-streamed song at MySpace, with nearly 68 million streams to date. On Sunday, April 5th, MySpace will present “The Release,” a very special Flo Rida concert featuring special guest Pleasure P. The show is free for fans of all ages at The Roxy in West Hollywood, CA. For more information, visit Flo Rida’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/officialflo.

“Right Round” has been showcased in a variety of recent films and television programs, including CBS’s CSI: Miami, MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, and ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. In addition, Flo Rida will perform on the March 31st installment of the nationally syndicated Ellen DeGeneres Show (check local listings). Flo Rida recently performed on MTV’s Spring Break from Panama City Beach, FL and taped performances for BET’s Spring Bling as well as MTV’s impending The Real World: Cancun, both of which will air in the coming weeks.

“R.O.O.T.S.” follows Flo Rida’s internationally successful debut, “MAIL ON SUNDAY,” which made an explosive Top 5 entry onto the Billboard 200 upon its March 2008 release. As on the previous collection, Flo Rida joins forces with an extraordinary array of A-list collaborators, including artists like Nelly Furtado, Ne-Yo, Wyclef Jean, and Akon, with production from Jim Jonson, Dr. Luke, will.I.am, Eric Hudson, Mike Caren, Oligee, and DJ Montay, who produced “Low.”

Flo Rida biography
Poe Boy/Atlantic recording artist Flo Rida has made history with his blockbuster new single, “Right Round,” shattering the all-time one-week digital single sales record previously held by his own game-changing debut, “Low (Feat. T-Pain),” not to mention marking the highest digital single debut ever. The track – featured on the Miami-based MC’s hugely anticipated new album, “R.O.O.T.S.” – has sold over 636,000 downloads in the week since its February 10th release, far exceeding the record-setting 467,000 sales week of “Low” in January 2008. What’s more, “Right Round” has broken the record for most downloads sold in the first week of release, set just last week by Eminem’s current #1 hit, “Crack A Bottle (Feat. Dr. Dre and 50 Cent).” The track currently ranks at #1 on the SoundScan Digital Song Chart, iTunes, Amazon, and Rhapsody.

“Right Round” is currently lighting it up at multi-format radio outlets nationwide, with Top 15 airplay at both CHR/Top 40 and Rhythmic. Combined with the week’s stunning sales success, the track’s fast-rising popularity ascends to the #1 spot on this coming week’s Billboard “Hot 100.” In addition, “Right Round” is the #1 most streamed song at MySpace with over 25 million streams to date.

“R.O.O.T.S.” – an acronym for “ROUTE OF OVERCOMING THE STRUGGLE” – arrives in stores and at all online retailers on March 31st. The album follows Flo Rida’s internationally successful debut, “MAIL ON SUNDAY,” which made an explosive Top 5 entry onto the Billboard 200 upon its March 2008 release. As on the previous collection, “R.O.O.T.S.” sees Flo Rida joining forces with an extraordinary array of A-list collaborators, featuring artists like Nelly Furtado, Ne-Yo, and Pleasure P, and including production from Jim Jonson, Dr. Luke, Eric Hudson, Mike Caren, and DJ Montay, who produced “Low.”

Currently standing tall at #1 on the iTunes Stores’ “Top Songs” chart, “Right Round” is the first salvo from Flo Rida’s partnership with iTunes. Next up is one of the new album’s undeniable highlights, “Shone (Feat. Pleasure P).” The track will be available exclusively through iTunes, beginning Tuesday, February 24th. In the weeks to follow, a series of further releases will go on sale, including additional tracks from “R.O.O.T.S.” as well as videos for both “Right Round” and “Shone.” Each download is part of iTunes’ Complete My Album countdown to the release of “R.O.O.T.S.,” where consumers can purchase the full album starting March 31st at a reduced price based on album tracks and videos they’ve already purchased.

Flo Rida is coming off a banner awards season which saw the RIAA 4x-platinum certified “Low” win the 2008 People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Hip-Hop Song,” beating out such hits as Kanye West’s “Good Life” and Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop.” “Low” also scored an MTV Africa Music Award for “MTV Base Request,” honoring the song as the year’s most requested video. In addition, “Low” was the recipient of two Grammy Award nominations, for “Best Rap/Sung Collaboration” and “Best Rap Song.”

What’s more, Billboard named Flo Rida its #1 digital artist of 2008, fueled in large part by the remarkable success of “Low.” With cumulative download sales now in excess of 4.6 million, “Low” is firmly established as the #1 best-selling digital single of all time. Among its many other achievements, the track held the #1 spot on the Billboard “Hot 100” for ten weeks, and Billboard’s “Hot Rap Tracks” chart for 11 weeks, marking the longest-running #1 since 2004 and the seventh longest-running #1 in the chart’s history.

Flo Rida made further hip-hop history when “Low” became the first-ever debut single from a rap artist to top the CHR/Top 40 radio chart, where he became only the fourth rap artist to hit #1 since 2005. Flo Rida also became the first-ever debut artist to have two Top 10 digital singles prior to an album release, when “Elevator (Feat. Timbaland)” entered the top 10 only three weeks after its release. “Right Round” marks the fourth consecutive hit single from Flo Rida.

Flo Rida has proven equally popular abroad, with “Right Round” breaking digital single sales charts in Canada this week, not to mention topping Canada’s CHR airplay chart. In addition, “MAIL ON SUNDAY” received gold certification in both Canada and Australia. The latter was especially receptive to Flo’s many charms, with “Low” topping the Australian Recording Industry Association’s 2008 “Top 100 Singles” and “Digital Track” charts. An energetic and charismatic live performer, the MC has toured the globe nearly non-stop in recent months, with numerous sold-out shows in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the UK.

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Flo Rida - R.O.O.T.S.