On Oct. 24, American University welcomed Billboard chart topping rapper Flo Milli to perform at Bender Arena for an AU-exclusive concert.
The concert, which was made possible by the Veloric Family’s generous donation in efforts to support student entrepreneurship, was organized by the Kogod School of Business’ “Representing Talent” course cohort. Students in the Representing Talent course played an important role in the execution of the event, from discussing which artists to bring to campus that fit the budget to determining ticket prices so that the concert could be accessible to all AU students, alumni, and faculty.
Doors opened at 7 p.m. to give students ample time to find their seats and figure out their standing positions close to the stage. At 8 p.m., DJ Rayyan,a senior Kogod student at AU, performed his hour-long opening set to get the crowd hype and excited for Flo Milli’s highly anticipated performance. Rayyan played hits from the likes of Frank Ocean, Sam Smith, and SZA mixed with house music and electronic-esque sounds which the crowd was receptive towards. His set combined with the arena’s foggy effects and multi-colored strobe lighting proved to be a solid opening set for the concert.
Following DJ Rayyan’s set came a performance from AU’s biggest student dance group on campus, AU In Motion. Their dance routine, choreographed by AU senior and dancer Sania Parker, blew the crowd away as they danced to hit songs by rappers Latto, Megan Thee Stallion and Glorilla.
After another 15-20 minute intermission, Flo Milli graced the stage with an aura that has defined her brand since her breakout into the music industry. With roots in Mobile, Al., the rapper has since built an ever-growing fanbase, who are particularly attracted to the artists’ carefree personality and “bad b*tch” energy prevalent in her music.
“I like the intentionality about her work, but also like how she wants to keep fun at the heart of her [music], like being a pretty girl and having fun,” said Myles Nwatu, a sophomore student at American University who attended the concert.
Flo Milli kicked off her 16-song setlist performance with the 2023 self-titled song, “FLO MILLI” – which has an interpolation of Destiny Child’s “Say My Name” – and immediately grabbed the audience’s attention with her stage presence. The crowd’s momentum intensified as Flo Milli performed “Understand” from the 24-year-old’s third-studio album, “Fine Ho’, Stay” released earlier this year. Her cadence and flow influenced the crowd to jump up and down with their hands in the air.
Apart from her high levels of confidence and killer flow, Flo Milli typically does an excellent job at engaging with fans at her shows. Before preparing to perform one of her widely-known songs “That B*tch,” she took a second to address the audience before hopping into the crowd to interact with them personally.
“I see a lot of bad b*tches in the motherf*cking crowd, bad b*tches what’s up?” Flo Milli said, which was followed by loud screams from the crowd. “I just wanna know, who walks around like That B*tch?”
From grabbing fans’ phones in the crowds and recording herself rapping her lyrics to handing the mic over to audience members so they could get the opportunity to rap the lyrics for themselves, there wasn’t a moment during the concert that left the crowd disengaged from Flo Milli’s performance. A heartwarming interaction between the artist and an AU student took place as they both took turns rapping “That B*tch” word-for-word. Other songs throughout the setlist where Flo Milli engaged with fans on the left side, right side and center of the arena included her breakout hit “Beef Flomix,” “Got the Juice” and “Weak.”
“There was definitely a lot of crowd engagement, which I appreciated. My friend got her phone taken by Flo Milli and like we were in a little video with her which was super cool,” said Nwatu.
Flo Milli ended her 45-minute-long set with the hit single off her recent album, “Never Lose Me.” The song first gained widespread popularity on TikTok before debuting at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the artist’s first ever entry on the chart. A remix of the song featuring rapper Cardi B and singer SZA later followed suit and was released simultaneously with her third studio album. Flo Milli gave a final thank you to the crowd before ending her set and exiting the stage.
Flo Milli Concert Setlist:
FLO MILLI (self-titled song)
Understand
Bed time
Like that B*tch
Beef Flomix
Rodeo Remix
May I
Bundles REMIX ft FloMilli
We Not Humpin - Monaleo ft FloMilli
Got the Juice
Conceited
I Am - Baby Tate ft Flo Milli
Weak
Sunday Service - Latto ft Flo Milli
In The Party
Never Lose Me
