Music

Flo Milli’s ‘Roaring 20s’ Is an Absurdly Fun Song You Need to Know

Flo Milli is on an impressive run right now, chewing up everything in her path and spitting it back with a double-time bar and an eye roll. The Alabama rapper’s debut mixtape, Ho, Why Is You Here?, was one of last year’s most fun releases in any genre, giving everything from a classic SWV ballad to Snoop Dogg’s immortal opening verse from “Gin & Juice” the Flo Milli makeover. Her quick, funny lyrics make her a natural for the TikTok era, but she also has a smart-alecky star quality that’s appealing to fans of any age who like their hits to come with a memorable personality.
 
As if to prove the point that she can make anything sound like herself and no one else, Flo Milli has chosen to begin the new year with a song where she duets with Tevye the Milkman from Fiddler on the Roof. “Roaring 20s” is built around a sample of “If I Were a Rich Man,” where the 1964 musical’s main character imagines an escape from the dreary reality of life as a working-class Jew in early-20th-century Russia. For Flo Milli, this — like so much else — is a perfect opportunity to talk immaculate trash at anyone in listening range.
 
In the song’s first verse, she envisions herself as a stereotypical dude who’s about to “hit up the country club with my bros” in between gym reps and meaningless encounters with women he doesn’t respect. “Stupid shit, it’s a double standard/I made my own lane and I take advantage,” she adds for clarification. By the next verse, she drops that concept and gives in to the pure mad glee of bouncing syllables like rubber balls over Kenny Beats’ production. She’s rich, she’s 21, she does whatever she wants, and what she wants right now is to rap for two minutes straight over a show tune. Who’s going to tell her no? 
 
Find a playlist of all of our recent Songs You Need to Know selections on Spotify.