Flowing through her own lane is Flo Milli

Women in Hip Hop: Flo Milli 💸

Flo Milli at Genuis

After being on and off the scene for several years. Flo Milli came back with a vengeance, dropping her latest single Beef FloMix where she continually raps over an alternative hip hop beat with a strong base and eerie upbeat keys. Within her writing it was apparent that Flo Milli just wanted to have fun and talk her talk as she begins the song with:

“I like cash and my hair to my ass Do the dash can you make it go fast”

What stood out off rip was Flo Milliʼs flow, itʼs not the traditional bar for bar flow, but itʼs also not the trap flow where the sound is redundant in every verse. Flo Milliʼs high pitched voice flows in and out of pockets as she switches her pitches and melodies throughout the song.

But letʼs get into the underlining reasons of why Fo Milli is important for black girls in hip hop. Colorism has been a hot topic lately, and there has been a clear lack of representation for darker skinned women in the media. Either severely under appreciated, maligned, and/or overly sexualized by critics and media black women; especially darker skinned women are never allowed the ability to just exist. The culture needs to allow women in hip hop to have fun on records without the constant pressure of having to prove themselves and go bar for bar just to get recognized. Competing with the top lyricist in the game should not be the standard for women to get recognized in hip hop. Itʼs apparent that going bar for bar is definitely not a goal for men in the game, so why hold that expectation for women? Some women just want to express themselves on a beat, share their experiences, and get money. We should allow them the space to do so, especially if the flow and melodies are as unique as Flo Milliʼs.

Flo Milli also put out a visual paired with the song. Her expression of looks and color served, as it matched the energy of the song quintessentially. My favorite part of the visual is the representation of black girls, bright wigs, and care-freeness. Over the years there has also been a lot of talk on how bright wigs don't favor darker skin tones. I hope this visual debunks that false narrative. The media and rappers should find other things to openly police other then what darker skinned women should wear or look like. In Flo Milliʼs Genius interview she shares: “if I can change one girls day with my music, then my job is done”. Flo Milli, along with other up and coming female rappers are forming a new lane letʼs make room.

Destiny.Len