Wednesday 8/19: Flo Milli - "Weak"
Today we share our thoughts on a new song by Mobile, Alabama rapper Flo Milli.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
This week, while Eli is away on vacation, the newsletter will feature contributions from a series of writers we love.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song from the Mobile, Alabama rapper Flo Milli. We’re joined by official Endless Scroll hip-hop contributor Michael Brooks.
Michael Brooks:
As somebody who spends way too much time on TikTok, I had probably heard “Beef FloMix” hundreds of times before I found out that Flo Milli was a serious artist. There’s really no rhyme or reason to what kind of sounds blow up on the app, but from my own experiences, the majority of original songs I stumble upon are innocuous and unmemorable. But Flo Milli is the exception—with a swaggering charisma that practically leaps out of the speakers on your phone, it’s impossible to deny the catchiness of “Beef FloMix,” even after watching a fifth straight dance video featuring the song.
The success of “Beef FloMix” landed Flo Milli a deal with RCA Records and nearly a month ago she dropped her debut mixtape Ho, Why Is You Here?, one of the best and most exciting debuts of the year. Filled with hilarious one-liners tailor-made for Instagram captions (“Dicks up when I step in the party”) Ho, Why Is You Here? is the perfect album for summer. It’s a damn shame that you can’t go out to a party and hear “In The Party” or “Weak” bumping through a bluetooth speaker, but Flo Milli’s music is just as intoxicating at home after a couple of drinks.
“Weak”, which flips SWV’s 1993 hit of the same name, embodies the same anti-fuckboy spirit that Ho, Why Is You Here? is built upon. Over a soulful beat courtesy of producer J White Did It, Flo Milli raps with an effortless bravado, commanding every track she hops on and chewing up and spitting out the beat before she leaves. To put it in the terms of another TikTok trend, Flo Milli is most definitely the “main character”. In the music video, she gleefully dances on top of a car as cash rains down around her, perfectly encapsulating the reckless abandon of youth. For those that tried to write Flo Milli off as fluke after “Beef FloMix” and “In The Party” became viral hits, “Weak” is proof that she’s only getting started.
Eric Bennett:
Flo Milli is such a breath of fresh air. While not an artist I followed all that closely, I have had “Beef FloMix” and “In the Party” in rotation for quite some time after hearing the former in countless fancams. It seems easy to treat that song as not serious, but it’s genuinely one of the best debut singles I’ve heard in ages. Now that there’s a full release from Milli, we get to see her expand her scope as an artist and her domain. For me, there’s no one as fun as Milli, and her ascendance calls to mind that of Nicki Minaj. Her delivery is confident, you can practically hear her wide eyes blinking and smile in every line. “Weak” is being singled out as a highlight on the mixtape, and for good reason. It’s further proof that Milli knows what she’s doing, and can write a hook that will not leave you.
Flo Milli shit, bitch.