{"id":92457,"date":"2021-11-17T12:01:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T10:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=92457"},"modified":"2023-03-16T13:20:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T11:20:31","slug":"flohio-9-lives-10-rhymes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/flohio-9-lives-10-rhymes\/","title":{"rendered":"Flohio, 9 lives 10 rhymes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Utrecht, Netherlands.&nbsp;We caught up with <a href=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/tag\/flohio\/\">Flohio<\/a> backstage after a big show full of hard bass and mosh pits that Flo didn\u2019t hesitate to jump into. She was in the dressing room, sunglasses on with her stage mate and DJ. After her tour manager poured a round of rum and ciders, we got to talking about her life in music. Her laidback attitude in the quiet dressing room was a hollow contrast to the energetic rage that happened onstage moments earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conversation meanwhile was light and poised. Flohio would bounce from artistic nonchalance to animated hand movement from one subject to the next, always finding a way to work in her passion for music and steadfast belief in the power of positive thinking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Don\u2019t think too hard about anything right now<\/em>.\u201d she said, \u201c<em>We\u2019re here, this moment all together and I just want you to have fun. That\u2019s what my whole thing is: fun<\/em>.\u201d Funmi Ohiosumah, aka Flohio, told me while noting that the first three letters of her given name are \u201cf,u,n.\u201d Fun, it seems, is an ethos to avoid overthinking. It\u2019s a mindset that says, \u201cdo it\u201d and it resonates to the beginnings of Flohio\u2019s musical journey.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>It all started with my friends. Going to the youth clubs with my friends and we had a studio in the youth clubs and that was literally the hanging spot. I was in there. Sold. Couldn\u2019t get me out. That was like 10 years ago<\/em>.\u201d She emphasizes, \u201c<em>I stumbled across it. Nobody sat me down. Then I found the people and we grew into it.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"FLOHIO - Roundtown (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bMC53yPBt6U?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>FLOHIO &#8211; Roundtown (Official Video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Industrial grime and gritty raps<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Since, Flohio has been pushing out her own breed of hip hop that is gritty and aggressive starting with her first single, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=T6i5zhrt658\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bands<\/a>\u201d in 2018. \u201c<em>That\u2019s just me. That\u2019s my personality into music<\/em>,\u201d she says of her unique style. \u201c<em>It&#8217;s just what I like to hear. Not from anything else. What I like to hear, what I\u2019m creating with my friends<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her appetite for sound is varied. We can hear down-tempo industrial electronics on the single \u201cWild Yout\u201d, a sloppy techno vibe on \u201cWealth\u201d, or the embrace of drill on \u201cBooby Traps\u201d. Then there\u2019s the local grime sounds that infects her debut, an exploration into metalcore, all grounded in punkish hip-hop. It might sound hard to follow but it\u2019s done \u201cWith Ease\u201d the name of her 2020 single featured in her debut album <em><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/7K0LNLvjx54vssCWX26PzR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">No Panic No Pain<\/a> <\/em>where she raps, \u201c<em>Elegantly move, miss me, chin pop leave you toothless<\/em>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>I love all types of genres. Not just hip-hop or rap or grime. I\u2019m an open book when it comes to music<\/em>.\u201d Flohio continues, \u201c<em>I wanna try to make a rock album. I wanna make an electronic album just strictly electro, you know of course I\u2019m not just gonna rap. Rap is the foundation. Hip hop is the foundation but I just wanna grow, I wanna come out of my comfort zone.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1010\" height=\"673\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-1-1010x673.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92461\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-1-1010x673.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-1-759x506.jpg 759w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-1-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-1-661x441.jpg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-1-465x310.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-1-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><figcaption>\u00a9 Jelmer de Haas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rage fucking rage<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s more important than the sound is the conviction of her flows. Each bar is ripe with a \u201cDIY or die\u201d attitude. No line encapsulates this ethos better than the refrain on \u201cUnveiled\u201d where Flohio chants (or commands) \u201cRage fucking rage\u201d a key moment during the show as the concert hall joined in to shout the one-liner back at her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>That\u2019s free man, be free. Don\u2019t be shy. That\u2019s literally what it is.<\/em>\u201d Flohio smacks her hands together for emphasis. \u201c<em>So don\u2019t be shy man, nobody cares, that\u2019s why my whole thing is \u2018rage fucking rage\u2019. I don\u2019t just wanna perform, I want everyone to be involved<\/em>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A pulse from the middle of the mosh pit says mission accomplished, although Flo clarifies, \u201c<em>It\u2019s not just mosh pit and all&#8230; Of course visually that\u2019s what it looks like but internally it\u2019s a whole different element<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raging is about being excited in your own skin. Flohio ignores the stereotypes, the pigeon holes, the expectations, and rides a feeling of rage to bring her music to life. \u201c<em>Big wins from losses. You took hits, I dodged it<\/em>,\u201d she sings on \u201cRoundtown\u201d. The energy has propelled the artist forward, collecting accolades from BBC, NME, Naomi Campbell shoutouts, and festival premiers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Flo insists none of that is about her. \u201c<em>Forget that I\u2019m here<\/em>,\u201d she says, \u201c<em>It\u2019s just about feeling the vibe. I wanna go home and still be on a hype. Excited to go to sleep, excited to wake up. Everyday should be like that.<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"FLOHIO -  Whiplash (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R9q2mtE5BWU?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>FLOHIO &#8211; Whiplash (Official Lyric Video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9 Lives 10 Rhymes&nbsp;<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Flo is also empowered. There\u2019s no limits set on her ambitions, and she makes sure her listeners feel the same. \u201c<em>I don\u2019t wanna sound too clich\u00e9 but if you believe in something, literally go for it. Give it all your might. That\u2019s my main thing<\/em>,\u201d she explains.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps it\u2019s due to a sense of mortal urgency. Flohio often addresses mortality and acknowledges friends lost along the way. Music has become a vehicle of homage and an outlet for her creative energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Music is literally my world. I feel like it saved me. I could be doing other stuff that\u2019s not beneficial to my development. Music keeps me on the straight and narrow. I\u2019ve lost friends and I wish they were here on this journey with me because they started with me<\/em>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s also the fact that most of Flohio\u2019s last album was written in isolation during lockdown, something she emphasized to the crowd during her performance. A surprising tidbit considering the energy and live appeal that each song carried. It\u2019s a testament to Flo\u2019s projective imagination that lets her bounce between headspaces.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>We can go back and write about memories from the past, and we can go forward and write about memories that we\u2019re yet to have. Memories that we\u2019re yet to create but you can still have it in your mind, you can still see it. That\u2019s why life is there and death is there. It&#8217;s from one life to another. I got 9 lives and 10 more rhymes. If you\u2019re crazy about life, you must be crazy about death as well<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She finishes, \u201c<em>It\u2019s a story. It\u2019s chapters upon chapters from one project to another<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No panic no pain<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>We left Flohio with a dap and a nod after the show and wished her luck for the future. An unnecessary nicety that she surely didn\u2019t need. She mentioned another album in the works, stressing the next few months she\u2019ll be locked in the studio composing and writing her next iteration of rhymes. But that won\u2019t stop her from dropping some singles, visuals, and remixes to keep the fans happy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No panic, there\u2019s certainly a lot of music to come from the young and talented artist, and you can be sure it\u2019ll be full of bravado and conviction, new sounds, and the masterful worldplay of Flo Flo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen to Flohio in our Pan African Rap playlist on <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/3wKFGudR28CR8bdnMSnSXQ?si=636b0b5502434d64\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spotify<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deezer.com\/fr\/playlist\/8240716902\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Deezer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1010\" height=\"672\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-2-1010x672.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-2-1010x672.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-2-759x505.jpg 759w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-2-1440x958.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-2-661x440.jpg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-2-465x309.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-2-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Flohio-2.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><figcaption>\u00a9 Jelmer de Haas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lagos born, South London based MC, Flohio is ready to rage her way to the top of rap, passing by grime, metalcore, and electro along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":92464,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11036,7833],"tags":[22994,24838,23741],"location":[8230],"yst_prominent_words":[9174,8414,8447,30455,8402,9006,8543,8438],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92457"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92457"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=92457"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=92457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}