“Good Feeling”

Album Review

It’s good to be the king.

That’s pretty much the message on rapper Flo Rida’s latest beat-drenched, electro-hop dance hit, “Good Feeling.” Featuring a chorus sampled from Etta James’ 1962 hit “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” Mr. Rida raises a feel-good toast that celebrates livin’ large, hip-hop style. To listen to Flo’s flows here, you’d think he (not Leonardo DiCaprio or James Cameron) was the king of the world.

“Oh, sometimes I get a good feeling,” the sample from Etta James begins. “I get a feeling that I never, never, never, never had before, no, no.” Between repetitions of that soaring chorus, Flo Rida describes what it’s like to ride the cresting wave of massive success. And I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t have any self-esteem problems. No, Flo’s livin’ it up, and he wants everyone to know it. “I’ll be president one day,” he brags. And he’s apparently got the power to will whatever he wants into existence: “I got a brand-new spirit/Speak, and it’s done.”

Then a series other comparisons commence. This rich rapper hints that he’s in the same league as Jesus (“The mountain top, walk on water”) and royalty (“I got power, feel so royal/ … That flow, that spark, that crown/You’re looking at the king of the jungle now”). Next up: Old Testament hero Daniel (“Witness: I got the heart of 20 men/No fear, go to sleep in the lions’ den”), followed by one of the richest men on earth (“No trick plays, I’m Bill Gates/Take a genius to understand me”).

And we thought Kanye West had an ego.

Flo Rida lets us know he’s riding around in the most expensive automobiles money can buy (Bugattis and Maybachs) and flitting ’round the world in a $50 million Gulfstream V personal jet. The song’s video plays on that vibe while adding a Rocky-esque layer to the glitzy affair. The first half shows a shirtless, tattoo-covered Flo Rida jogging, sparring and boxing, a clear homage to Rocky Balboa’s famous training scenes. But what, exactly, is he training for? The second half indicates that his goal is looking good for the ladies, both onstage (again, generally shirtless) and at a club (where he’s mobbed by adoring female fans as other scantily clad ladies undulate in the background). We see him dump a bottle of champagne on his head during a concert—just for good measure, I suppose.

To his credit, Flo manages to avoid some other typically negative rap clichés in his song’s lyrics (if not the video itself). There’s nary a marijuana bud or stripper pole to be seen, no Glocks with full clips, nor any of the exotic alcoholic beverages rappers are infamous for bragging about. That said, there’s no getting around the fact that the good feelings Flo Rida trumpets remain utterly self-centered and dependent upon mountainous sums of cold hard cash.