“Welcome to my house,” world-renowned rapper and singer Flo Rida said—referring to one of his hit songs, “My House”—when he greeted the audience during his visit to the University of Miami Coral Gables Campus on Monday to speak with students about his career.
The discussion was part of the University of Miami’s Judge-in-Residence program, based in the College of Arts and Sciences and led by Miami Circuit Court Judge Ellen Sue Venzer, who moderated the discourse.
The program is designed to highlight how the United States legal system affects our lives, careers, and values, and prepare students for active citizenship through seminar-style courses, University-wide lectures, and structured conversations with prominent professionals.
During the talk, Venzer asked Flo Rida about his experience with racial identity and implicit bias in the music industry and the South Florida community.
“Growing up in Miami, it's very diverse,” he said. “It didn't affect me as much because [diversity] was embraced [here].” This allowed his music to move through different communities, he pointed out.
Venzer also asked the rapper about the early days of his career and to share a time he “didn’t feel seen” by others.
Flo Rida recalled being a shy seventh-grader in a speech and debate class. But despite his quiet nature, he noted that he was a vocal and engaged student. The teacher encouraged him to leave the basketball team and join the speech and debate team. This change, he said, was what brought him out of his shell.
The local celebrity gave thanks to his speech and debate teacher, who taught him that he had the courage to go out and advocate for himself and made him feel seen at a young age.
Following the formal discussion, students had the opportunity to ask the rapper questions. The queries included topics about mental health and whether record labels are promoting social change. Flo Rida shared that he keeps his mental health a priority through discipline and reading.
“I am disciplined with reading the Bible. The answers I may not have, I ask those around me who I know that I can give my honest thoughts to [to help me],” he said.
In responding to a question, Flo Rida addressed how record labels can do more to promote social change and diversity. The artist highlighted that now is a great time in the music industry because everyone has a platform, which allows for collaboration that creates the synergy to make social change and diversity more powerful.
Flo Rida, on various occasions, mentioned the important role his mother played in his upbringing and in the creation of his values. He shared that she taught him from a young age to “embrace every moment because it can be taken away at any time.”
