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Flo Rida, 'Mail on Sunday'

The ‘Low’ hitmaker gets overshadowed by guests on lackluster debut

By Andy Hermann

Metromix
March 18, 2008

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Backstory: Unless you’re just waking up from a five-month coma, you already know this hip-hop newcomer thanks to his ubiquitous hit “Low,” which features what sounds like the best Nelly chorus since “Hot in Herre” until you realize that it’s just T-Pain doing a dead-on Nelly impersonation.

Why you should care: Flo’s flow may not be anything to write home about, but the success of “Low” gave him the juice to assemble some A-list collaborators, including Timbaland, Lil Wayne, Sean Kingston and fellow Floridian Rick Ross.

Verdict: The first sign of trouble on “Mail on Sunday” comes on the very first track, “American Superstar,” which features a Lil Wayne guest verse. The contrast of Weezy’s effortless wordplay and Flo’s clumsy, singsong delivery couldn’t be more stark; it’s like watching Kobe Bryant crash a schoolyard game of Horse to deliver a reverse lay-up. Nearly all of the best moments on “Mail on Sunday” have very little to do with the album’s ostensible star—that irresistible T-Pain chorus on “Low,” Timbaland’s crunchy beats on “Elevator,” Kingston’s lilting vocals on “Roll.” Take all that away and you’re left with pedestrian beats and rhymes like, “Oh, hot damn, this is my jam, keep me partying till the A.M.” (from “In the Ayer”).

X-Factor: “Low” is officially the bestselling digital single of all time, surpassing the three million mark.

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