# Flo Rida

> American rapper and singer (born 1979)

**Wikidata**: [Q213538](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q213538)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flo_Rida)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/flo-rida

## Summary

Flo Rida, born Tramar Lacel Dillard on September 16, 1979, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for blending hip-hop with pop, dance, and electronic dance music. His stage name is derived from the U.S. state of Florida. Active since 2000, he has been affiliated with record labels Atlantic Records and Poe Boy Entertainment, and is recognized for crossover hits that brought hip-hop into mainstream pop and dance charts globally.

## Biography

- **Born:** September 16, 1979
- **Nationality:** United States
- **Education:** University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Barry University (private Catholic university in Miami Shores, Florida)
- **Known for:** Blending hip-hop, pop, dance, and electronic dance music as a rapper, singer, and songwriter
- **Employer(s) / Affiliations:** Atlantic Records (Warner Music Group subsidiary, founded 1947); Poe Boy Entertainment (American record label, founded 1999, headquartered in Florida)
- **Field(s):** Hip-hop music; pop music
- **Active since:** 2000

## Contributions

Flo Rida's career spans rapping, singing, and songwriting across multiple genres including hip-hop, pop music, dance music, and electronic dance music. His stage name is a direct reference to his home state of Florida, and he is also associated with flowriding (a boardsport involving stationary artificial waves), which reflects the cultural and recreational identity tied to his name and origins. Beginning his professional work in 2000, he signed with Poe Boy Entertainment, a Florida-based label founded in 1999, and later with Atlantic Records, one of the most historically significant American labels, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. His music occupies the intersection of hip-hop and popular mainstream genres, contributing to the widespread commercial appeal of rap-infused dance and pop tracks.

## FAQs

**What is Flo Rida's real name and where is he from?**
Flo Rida's birth name is Tramar Lacel Dillard. He was born on September 16, 1979, and is an American citizen from the state of Florida — the direct inspiration for his stage name.

**What genres of music does Flo Rida perform?**
He works across hip-hop, pop music, dance music, and electronic dance music, blending rapping and singing to produce crossover tracks that appeal to broad audiences.

**What record labels has Flo Rida been signed to?**
He has been affiliated with Poe Boy Entertainment, an American label founded in 1999 and headquartered in Florida, as well as Atlantic Records, a major American label founded in 1947 and currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

**Where did Flo Rida go to school?**
He attended Barry University, a private Catholic doctoral university in Miami Shores, Florida, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a public research university in Paradise, Nevada.

**When did Flo Rida start his music career?**
His professional work period began in the year 2000.

## Why They Matter

Flo Rida represents a significant bridge between hip-hop and mainstream pop and dance music. Operating at the intersection of multiple genres — hip-hop, pop, dance, and electronic dance music — he helped normalize the presence of rap vocals in club-oriented and radio-friendly formats, contributing to a broader trend of genre-crossing in 21st-century popular music. His affiliation with Atlantic Records placed him within the lineage of one of America's most historically influential labels, known for shaping rhythm and blues, jazz, rock, and contemporary pop. His roots in Florida, a state with deep cultural and musical diversity, and his education at institutions in both Florida and Nevada, reflect the geographic mobility and cross-regional influences that characterize modern American music. By merging rapping with singing and melodic hooks across dance-oriented production, Flo Rida influenced the direction of commercial hip-hop and pop collaborations, a model that became increasingly prevalent in the music industry.

## Notable For

- **Stage Name Origin:** Named after the U.S. state of Florida, a direct geographic and cultural reference
- **Multi-Genre Career:** Active across hip-hop, pop music, dance music, and electronic dance music — a rare genre-spanning footprint
- **Atlantic Records Affiliation:** Signed to one of America's oldest and most influential record labels, founded in 1947 and now under Warner Music Group
- **Poe Boy Entertainment Affiliation:** Associated with the Florida-based independent label founded in 1999
- **Dual Roles as Rapper and Singer:** Occupies both vocal roles, embodying rapping (an artistic form of vocal delivery incorporating rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular) and singing (producing musical sounds with the voice)
- **Professional Career Spanning Over Two Decades:** Active since 2000
- **Educational Background at Two Universities:** Barry University in Florida and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- **Connection to Flowriding:** Associated with the boardsport flowriding, linking his persona to board-sport and recreational culture

## Body

### Early Life and Identity

Tramar Lacel Dillard was born on September 16, 1979, in the United States. He holds American citizenship. His stage name, Flo Rida, is directly derived from the state of Florida — the state where he was raised and which profoundly shaped his cultural identity. The name also carries an associative connection to flowriding, a boardsport in which athletes ride boards atop stationary artificial waves engineered to replicate ocean waves, reinforcing the Florida water-and-leisure identity embedded in his persona.

### Education

Flo Rida pursued higher education at two institutions. He attended Barry University, a private Catholic university located in Miami Shores, Florida. Barry University was founded in 1940, is classified as a doctoral university with moderate research activity, and serves approximately 7,500 students with around 2,100 employees. He also attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), a public research university in Paradise, Nevada, which was founded on September 10, 1957, and employs approximately 5,431 people.

### Musical Genres and Field of Work

Flo Rida's professional field of work encompasses hip-hop and pop music. His genre associations include:

- **Hip-hop:** A genre of rhythmic music accompanied by rhyming speech, with inception traced to August 11, 1973
- **Pop music:** A genre of popular music with inception around 1950
- **Dance music:** Music of any genre intended to accompany dancing
- **Electronic dance music (EDM):** A broad genre of electronic music with inception around 1977

This multi-genre profile positions Flo Rida as a crossover artist who operates fluidly between urban/rap traditions and mainstream dance-pop markets. His work involves rapping — defined as an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression incorporating rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular, with inception around 1970 — as well as singing, the act of producing musical sounds with the voice.

### Record Label Affiliations

Flo Rida has been affiliated with multiple record labels:

- **Poe Boy Entertainment:** An American record label founded in 1999, headquartered in Florida. This label represents Flo Rida's grassroots connection to the Florida music scene.
- **Atlantic Records:** An American record label founded in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. Atlantic Records operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group and is headquartered in the United States. The label has historically been significant in shaping rhythm and blues, jazz, rock, and contemporary popular music. Atlantic's catalog includes works by legendary artists, and its transition from an independent label to part of a major music conglomerate reflects broader trends in the music industry.

### Career Timeline

Flo Rida's professional work period began in 2000. Over more than two decades, he has operated as a rapper, singer, and songwriter. His Wikipedia presence spans 52 language editions (sitelink_count: 52), indicating significant global recognition.

### Digital Presence and Identifiers

Flo Rida maintains extensive digital footprints across numerous platforms, reflecting a comprehensive online and media presence:

- **Official Website:** https://flo-ri-da.com/
- **Social Media:** Twitter/X handle @official_flo; Instagram @officialflo; Facebook page official_flo
- **Music Platforms:** Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, SoundCloud, Tidal, YouTube channel (UCBRFlde39a2U4nAkmGqJwAQ), Last.fm, and Vevo
- **Music Databases:** MusicBrainz ID (4593d49a-7f67-46ba-9ec0-126bd676286f), Discogs, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, SecondHandSongs, Chartmetric, and TuneCore
- **Film/TV:** IMDb company ID nm2954670
- **Library and Authority Records:** ISNI (0000000368374597, 000000005524410X), VIAF (49550449), GND (135512107), Library of Congress (no2008046583), BNF (15636792c), and SUDOC (15731524X)
- **Wikidata and Wikipedia:** Freebase ID (/m/02vwckw), Wikipedia title "Flo Rida," Commons category "Flo Rida"
- **Additional Identifiers:** Dozens more across platforms including TikTok, Genius, Musixmatch, Bandsintown, Shazam, Pandora, and others

### Associated Geographic and Cultural Contexts

Flo Rida's identity is deeply tied to Florida, the third-most populous U.S. state with a 2024 estimated population of 22,222,134. Florida is known as the "Sunshine State," is a global leader in tourism, agriculture, and aerospace, and features diverse cultural communities including significant Cuban-American, Haitian, and Caribbean populations. The state's capital is Tallahassee, its largest city is Jacksonville, and major cities include Miami, Tampa, and Orlando. Florida's cultural richness and position as a tourism and entertainment hub provide the backdrop for Flo Rida's artistic identity.

His education in Nevada at UNLV also connects him to the Las Vegas metropolitan area, a globally recognized entertainment capital.

### Image and Media

Flo Rida's documented media includes images from live performances, including a photograph from the closing ceremonies of the 2016 Invictus Games, archived under his Commons category.

## References

1. Integrated Authority File
2. Mambo
3. Czech National Authority Database
4. International Standard Name Identifier
5. MusicBrainz
6. BnF authorities
7. [Source](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000921924)
8. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
9. CONOR.SI
10. BBC Things
11. Discogs
12. Library of Congress Control Number
13. Quora
14. The Movie Database
15. [Source](https://golden.com/wiki/Flo_Rida_discography-9VX884)
16. YouTube API
17. [Flo Rida Tracklists Overview](https://www.1001tracklists.com/dj/florida/index.html)