Keven's Music Review: FLO RIDA – Wild Ones

The rapper, who everybody on the planet is aware where he hails, has unleashed his fourth studio album 'Wild Ones'. The effort is a rap pop radio friendly blitzkrieg created for the sole purpose to make as much airplay as possible. However, I may be going to music Hell but I'll say it anyway – Flo Rida has made one fun record.

A friend summed it up for me very well by saying Flo Rida is the new Will Smith. He makes clean, family friendly hip hop. Ok…. It may not be fully family friendly since I'm pretty sure a lot of these songs hint at several forms of oral sex. It's just that he doesn't curse while rhyming about getting some. 'Wild Ones' is short, to the point and unless you grabbed the 'deluxe' version of the album, the basic package is a brief nine tracks. A rap record with only nine songs is a rarity these days so it struck me as odd until I listened to it, about 40 times in a row. It's catchy as hell and I couldn't stop.

The album cover is atrocious, featuring Flo Rida against a black backdrop with rainbow rave sprinkles glowing around his body. When I look at album art like that I assume whoever created it really stopped giving a s*** in Photoshop. Flo Rida himself looks like some dude who bought everything labeled 'bad-ass' at the local Hot Topic which isn't a good start but lace that with rainbow glow and you're in trouble.

Thankfully the actual music is strong. 'Whistle', 'Wild Ones', 'Good Feeling' and 'Run' are all stellar pop hits. The record is loaded with so much guilty pleasure it's reeling. Flo Rida is a very strong lyricist so his raps work well with the dance music unlike say Nikki Minaj who tried to pull off the same schtick with her latest album and failed miserably.

If you've heard these songs repeatedly on the radio for the past year and hate Flo Rida with all that is your rage, then I apologize but I have to give props to the pop hop master. 'Wild Ones' is a fun, upbeat record and it's something I can listen to loudly while I drive my car around. I can actually have the windows down without old people looking at me and questioning why I would yell racial obscenities at them while they walk their poodles.

1. "Whistle"
2. "Wild Ones" (featuring Sia)
3. "Let It Roll"
4. "Good Feeling"
5. "In My Mind, Part 2" (featuring Georgi Kay)
6. "Sweet Spot" (featuring Jennifer Lopez)
7. "Thinking of You"
8. "I Cry"
9. "Run" (featuring Redfoo)
10. "Let It Roll Part 2" (featuring Lil Wayne)