Album Review: Flo Milli Shit, Ho!

Flo Milli pulls absolutely no punches, proving herself to be much more than a TikTok flash in the pan on her debut mixtape. 

Written and illustrated by Mark Yoder

20-year-old Alabama rapper Flo Milli began turning heads with her hit single “Beef FloMix,” rapping over the minimalist instrumental from Playboi Carti’s “Beef.” The track’s straightforward, hard-hitting beat and Flo Milli’s youthful voice and, confident delivery were a perfect combination for social media virality. She quickly capitalized on her new popularity, following up with a music video and a slew of convincing singles including “In the Party” and “Like that Bitch.” With a great sense of humor and clear technical proficiency, Flo Milli seemed to have all the ingredients to be one of the next stars of rap before she’d even released a full project. Her debut mixtape Ho, why is you here? is her chance to deliver on that promise. 

The title alone encapsulates the type of energy Flo Milli brings to the project —  she is ready to fight and talk shit to anyone who dares stand in her way. While unmemorable, the intro “Mood Everyday” does set the tone for the album, as Flo Milli repeats “Bitch, I’m better” over a simple and low-pitched piano line. The 51-second intro jumps straight into unadulterated banger “Beef FloMix,” which shows Flo Milli at her most pure: threatening, making fun of, and flexing on her enemies. 

On this track, Flo Milli unapologetically tears down her haters. She threatens to “take yor ma-a-an,” rubbing in her superiority with lines like “He like my confidence and that’s what you lack.” She’s acknowledged the coldhearted, ruthless nature of the song, saying that she made it while feeling “depressed as f-ck” and that her aggressive energy came from being picked on in high school. Flo Milli wanted the song to be an anthem for girls that went through the same things she did in high school. 

“Beef FloMix” is the blueprint for much of this project — many of the songs use similarly sparing but snappy trap beats that leave plenty of room to emphasize Flo Milli’s combative bars. It’s a formula that suits her, but it does get stale at points. The songs with more varied production and tone become the standouts. 

The beat on “Like that Bitch” leaves something to be desired, featuring a lifeless low-pitched piano line combined with run-of-the-mill trap drums that both become tedious over the song’s three-minute duration. But she makes the most of it, showing off technical skill by launching into a series of impressive flow switches. Ultimately however, it leaves much on the table about how much better track could have been with some more inspired production.   

“In The Party” is easily one of Flo Milli’s catchiest songs and has a much more playful and childish tone than the preceding tracks. The la la las in the chorus bring up images of schoolyard glee as she skips around her bullies. But tracks like “Pockets Bigger” and “Send the Addy,” while fun, try to reproduce the charm of “In the Party” with less success. 

Around the album’s halfway point, “Weak” is a nice change of pace, using a more laid back tempo and a pitched up sample of SWV's “Weak” to give a break from nonstop trap bangers. Flo Milli lists off the roster of guys she has in the palm of her hand — Dennis who won’t listen, Maleek who’s boring and always in his feelings, etc. — so she has to cut them off one by one like game show contestants. With its creative production and more plot-based lyrics, “Weak” is a definite standout.

Photo courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment

“May I” is another strong point thanks to a change in production. The densely layered percussive beat features interspersed chanting as well as the occasional siren and driving 808 pattern, a compatible backdrop for Flo Milli’s rapidfire bars. It would have been a higher note to finish on than final track “Scuse Me.” The stripped down pan flute outro reverts to the unoriginality of the album’s more forgettable tracks.

Ho, why is you here? is a solid first step. Without any featured artists, Flo Milli shows what she can do on the mic, never losing charisma or technical skill. While the production lacks ambition throughout the project, there’s still promise that this could be remedied in her future work. Flo Milli knows exactly why she’s here and she won’t stop reminding you anytime soon.