RIC FLO

ATLANTA'S 2010 YGEA "LYRICIST OF THE YEAR"AWARD WINNER! RIC FLO (For Lord Only) was born on September 28, 1971 as Ricardo Valentine in Baltimore, Maryland. At the early age of 13, he gained his love for music and was influenced by his brothers who deejayed and emceed. In the early stages of Hip-Hop, FLO was watching and growing off great pioneers like Run DMC, LL Cool J, Kool G Rap, Rakim, KRS One and Kid N Play. At 15, he started his first rap group after getting his first set of turntables ...

ATLANTA'S 2010 YGEA "LYRICIST OF THE YEAR"AWARD WINNER! RIC FLO (For Lord Only) was born on September 28, 1971 as Ricardo Valentine in Baltimore, Maryland. At the early age of 13, he gained his love for music and was influenced by his brothers who deejayed and emceed. In the early stages of Hip-Hop, FLO was watching and growing off great pioneers like Run DMC, LL Cool J, Kool G Rap, Rakim, KRS One and Kid N Play. At 15, he started his first rap group after getting his first set of turntables so this deejay turned emcee in 1983 and became an instant local celebrity along side his partner at the time world renowned DJ Class. The two created the Baltimore Hit: "Bleeding Cool" which became Baltimore deejay's favorite song to spin in that season. After signing to an indie label that flopped the two went their separate ways only to meet up two decades later in the south to collaborate. In the nineties RIC FLO was named Rated R and changed his name to RkaTek after joining another group with LabTekWon and NOE from Dipset. As rap began to grow the group members grew apart and life happened. RIC began producing with a childhood friend, June as they collaborated and created a demo for the R&B group Ruff Endz which helped land them a deal on Sony/Epic. RIC moved to Atlanta, GA with a goal to break into the music business in 1996. Winning a series of Rap Battle competitions, FLO kept his eyes on the prize to become a known emcee in the industry and was discovered when he was being played on 107.9FM. And soon signed to: Rapland Recordings (CEO) Christopher "PLAY" Martin, one of the Hip-Hop pioneers that FLO used to watch. In 2002, RIC FLO joined forces with a newcomer in the area, Ms. Ty Scott and they formed the Hip-Hop/Poetry group Platinum Souls. No stranger to the airwaves, Platinum Souls gained momentum with their “Unexpected Mixes”, a series of mixtapes used to build anticipation for their recently released (Sept. 2008) album, “Hybrid”. Due to their unyielding commitment to spreading the gospel, Platinum Souls has received the following list of honors: • "Dey Don't Know" (their 2007 hit single) still ranks Top 10 on the BILLBOARD Music Charts (23 weeks, and counting), in the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Category • 2008 Gospel Choice Award winner - "Best Hip Hop" • 2008 YGEA Award winner - "Best Hip Hop Group" • March 2006- the first hip-hop & poetry group ever to appear on T.B.N. (The Trinity Broadcast Network), as guests on: "Praise the Lord", hosted by: CeCe Winans • 2006- Atlanta Hip Hop Film Festival: "Video of the Year" winner (for their music video: "Til 6 in da Morning", Directed by: Christopher "Play Martin". The video aired on major networks worldwide, i.e.: BET, The Word Network, etc.) • 2005- Featured in the REAL Biblezine (by Thomas Nelson Publishers); A Bible for the urban community • 2005- Gospel Choice Award nominee • 2004- Atlanta Urban Legends Showcase winner • 2004- Urban Gospel Industry (UGI) winner • 2004- What's the Word Magazine winner • 2004 & 2003- Holy Hip Hop Awards winners • 2002- Silver Mic Award winners (for the best Pizza Hut jingles of the year) • And as if that were not enough, Platinum Souls were also among a handful of artists chosen to be the first rappers ever to perform at The United States Pentagon! With being the visionary to the group PS, the real work starts now as FLO makes his mark as a solo artist. Set to release his debut album, “A Product of 1252” this year. Hip-Hop being his niche, the artist has not shied away from singing and producing. RIC FLO aka THE BEAT SNATCHER is embarking on bringing a new element to music: The out-of-the-box Movement. FLO stated, “When you have many styles, many talents and a drive to reach all ages, all genres and nations a true artist cannot operate with a boxed mentality.” So, when you think of the FLO, think quality, quantity and variety. RIC FLO has opened for artist: DMX, TANK,BONE CRUSHER, YING YANG TWINS, CEE CEE WINANS, CHUCK D (PUBLIC ENEMY)and many more.. Shows to date: Performed in over 1,600 venues and counting!