Le FLO FRANCO, the franco-Ontarian hip hop artist, is on a cross-country tour for the month of the Francophonie, and he is also on a mission to spread positivity, resilience, and his love for the French language and culture.
FLO, which stands for Fierté Loyauté Originalité, is one of this year’s Rendez-Vous de la Francophonie spokespeople, alongside Franco-Manitoban comedian Micheline Marchildon. His unique blend of multicoloured urban pop resonates with thousands across Canada.
Le FLO FRANCO was born in France to Haitian parents. He was raised in Ottawa, deeply immersed in the city’s Haitian and Francophone communities. As a youth, artists like La Compagnie créole, Michael Jackson, Puff Daddy, MA$E, and LMDS (Les Messagers du Son) inspired him and helped to shape his unique style. FLO started rapping in Ottawa’s independent hip hop scene at the age of 14, going on to collaborate with rapper and educator Yao in the RenESSENCE duo in 2005.
FLO released three EPs between 2012 and 2017 and his first full-length album, Force inhérente, came out in 2019. 2022 saw the release of his second album, Trajectoire divine.
Sophia Désir, coordinator of the Language Portal of Canada’s Our Languages blog, interviewed FLO about the role that languages play in his life and music for this year’s RVF.
Check out Danser avec toi, which was voted the “chanson francophone de l’année” at Manie Musicale 2023, for an excellent example of FLO’s musical and lyrical artistry.
Catherine Fisher, blogger
