F: Fat Joe has been holding me down since day one. Being out on the road, it is good hearing a nice word from a guy who loves music like me. It is a blessing. Shout out to Fat Joe!!!
S: I guess it is normal to have anxiety about another hit record. Your fans just take hit after hit for granted.
F: I knew I was capable, but at the same time, I had no idea it would reach this level.
S: Fat Joe, Rick Ross, Two Live Crew, Pitbull, Trina, Mi-Yayo and Trick Daddy – you are in good company. If you, as a teenager, could have one group perform in your backyard tomorrow, who would it be?
F: I would have enjoyed rockin’ with everyone from NWA!
S: Oh yeah! What have you learned about our industry? F: If you love makin’ music and you enjoy it in your heart, you can have great success. I’ve been traveling all over the world, from Japan to Af- rica to New Zealand. These places inspire me. And I owe it to my fans.
S: Being from Miami, how do you feel about LeBron? F: Great dude!
S: Do you know D-Wade?
F: It’s always love with Dwayne Wade. I go to the games sometimes and sit next to his mom or party with him in the clubs in Miami.
S: Coming up in the game, you know who your friends are. Is it hard, now that you’re so large, to make new friends?
F: It depends, because I believe however you are as a person, that’s who you attract. So I’m always good when it’s time to meet new friends.
S: Who is your biggest mentor? F: Definitely, my manager. I recall working with him at a 9-5 t-shirt company. I came just to make enough money to quit and go to the studio. Then when I finished, I would come back with my CD and he would play it at the job. So early in my career he’s been following and helping me, so shouts out to him!
S: You struggled with hip hop labels trying to get put on. You actually went to Las Vegas for college. Were you still pushing music then or considering the business side of it?
F: I couldn’t stay away from wanting to do my music, so I dropped out of college feeling like I could just go back. While in college I kept think- ing, “Man, I really want to do this music.” So I made the right choice.
S: You studied International Business Management, so everything you’re doing today clicks.
F: Definitely. I appreciate it. I am going to go back.
S: You also spent time knocking on label doors in Cali. F: Yeah, I did it to step up my game. Florida is a hotbed for hip hop, but it is also just one environment. I wanted to sample another grove, check out Cali and feel what the people are all about over there. It’s a different atmosphere. That time for me, coupled with my Florida roots and international tours, has really broadened my scope. It has stepped up my game big time.
S: You have different dimensions that manifest from your first hit “Low” to today’s “Good Feeling.” Most rappers stay in one geographi- cal lane. You’ve managed to exit I-95.
F: (laughs)
S: You are so chill in real life. You are articulate and circumspect. I wouldn’t be able to picture you getting buck wild in a club, but I re- member when you were just starting out in 2007 and you performed at a 105-5 The Beat Crunkfest. You not only performed on stage, you
performed at the after party at the Best Western. You might be poppin champagne bottles now, but five years ago, it was hard liquor and a lot of groupies.
F: (laughs) Watch my music videos! They have a lot of truth to them!!!
S: Are you single right now? F: Yes. Definitely!
S: I read awhile back that you and Brandy were a thing. I even saw some lovey love pictures of the two of you. But Brandy tweeted, “Not a couple, not serious with anyone, not looking for love.” Are you looking for someone special in your life?
F: Yes, I’m always looking for a woman who puts God first in her life and has passion and ambition.
S: Do you prefer someone who’s not in the entertainment business?
F: I’m a guy who’s successful. If the woman I get with is successful, I feel like that would be better.
S: How do you get the woman? F: By being nice, polite, charming and respectful.
S: You’ve got the playa’s handbook… F: (laughs)
S: And how do you romance her? F: I’m very romantic with the ladies, Scrappy. A typical date for me is simplicity. A nice, quiet night out, champagne, flowers, watch a movie back at the crib.
S: Your great respect for women no doubt comes from the influence of seven sisters. What is the number one thing they have instilled in you?
F: Nothing. Meaning nothing can hold me back.
S: Most people only see a rapper’s veneer, assuming that a rich rap star with fame and women have the perfect life. What struggles has the man, Tramar Dillard, encountered?
F: I had a sister pass away. Just getting enough finances to survive. Not knowing where my next meal was coming from. I was living on the streets of Los Angeles. Things like that have definitely been struggles.
S:Materialistically, what is the greatest thing you’ve been able to achieve?
F: Owning my own house in Miami. I think that’s a real big accomplish- ment. I grew up in a single family home in the projects, so to have the keys to my own mansion is real big.
S: Do members of your camp have keys to your crib? F: (laughs) Oh, yeah, it’s all good!
S: Do you have a lot of cold beer in your refrigerator?
F: Hell, yeah! My man Johnny always brings it over. But I don’t drink beer. I prefer champagne. You know! Bottle poppin’!
S: Given your accomplishments, how rewarded do you feel?? F: It is a huge blessing to realize your dream. With my passion and drive for music, I have been fortunate to travel around the world. I don’t take that for granted. Starting out, I never knew I could take it this far.
S: Flo, I really appreciate you hanging out and chopping it up with me.
F: Welcome back from the hospital, Scrappy. I know you had your little surgery thing, but I am sure you’ll be fine. You’re a great dude. You’re humble. Stay blessed!
www.officialflo.com
Scrappy, Southwest Florida’s highest rated DJ, can be heard every afternoon from 3-6pm on 105.5 The Beat. Pulse Magazine SWFL | 31
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