Julia Chirls || Staff Writer
As an American rapper and singer songwriter, Flo Rida has had a positive influence on the music industry with his unique talent since 2006. On April 7, his fourth extended play (EP), My House, hit iTunes following the release of the single “G.D.F.R. (Going Down for Real)” last October. For those of you who do not know, an EP is similar to a studio album, but it is considered too short to qualify as one. For instance, My House has just seven songs. Despite the length of any EP, such as this one, it is just as jam-packed with good music as a studio album that is twice as long.
The vocals of many other artists have appeared in his work since the start of his career. Rapper and actor T-Pain collaborated with Flo Rida in one of his better-known songs, “Low,” from his first studio album Mail on Sunday. In addition, any fan of Ke$ha can recognize her distinct voice in the 2009 hit “Right Round” from Flo Rida’s second studio album, R.O.O.T.S. Perhaps the most popular feature was in “Wild Ones,” a 2011 single on his fourth studio album, Wild Ones, in which Australian singer songwriter Sia’s vocals added nice musical contrast. The song earned the #5 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 upon its release.
Flo Rida continued this trend on My House, with six different artists featured in four of the songs. Robin Thicke and Verdine White made an appearance in “I Don’t Like It, I Love It,” the 3rd song on the track list and also one of the most popular on the EP, in the opinion of iTunes listeners. White is the bassist for the R&B band Earth Wind & Fire and is known for his high energy on stage. Just through the music, you can hear the extreme effort he puts into making sure the bass keeps the beat and provides a nice structure to the song. Robin Thicke plays a significant part in the song, as he sings the chorus. He brings the same talent to this that he brought to his famous hit “Blurred Lines.” I agree with iTunes listeners, this is one of my favorite songs on the EP and is an enjoyable and worthwhile listen.
Chris Brown contributes the talent that he has gained over his decade-long career to “Here It Is,” the 5th song on My House. You may recognize Brown as the artist that has released many hits including “Yeah 3x” from the Grammy-winning album for Best R&B Album F.A.M.E. in 2012. Aside from Brown’s distinct vocals, “Here It Is” features some interesting sound effects and sound variations. There are instances in which there are only vocals and other instances where there are only musical rhythms. Flo Rida sings at a moderate pace, allowing the listener to engage with the lyrics and appreciate the blend of sounds and pitches.
My House is an enjoyable series of tunes that will please listeners. The quality of the catchy, energetic, and variety of music makes up for the fact that there are only seven songs on the track list; if only there were more to enjoy! Flo Rida’s latest EP is guaranteed to advance his career even further, and gain an even larger following than he has now, if that is even possible! Any listener, no matter their genre of choice, will love this music, as there is a diverse selection of featured artists and many styles of music incorporated on this solid EP.
Sophomore Julia Chirls is a staff writer. Her email is jchirls@fandm.edu.