Flo Rida wants to follow in the footsteps of other hip-hop stars by using his celebrity to encourage fans to make their voices heard by voting in the 2012 presidential election.

“You always want to have a choice,” Flo Rida said. “If [eligible voters] are not aware of it, you’re going to lose that chance to speak your mind. I’ve decided that me and my team, I’m trying to rally some things to get involved in the voting process.”

“I vote myself,” he added. “Now I’m just taking initiative to use my music [to rally young Americans to vote]. Being inspired by what Diddy and Jay-Z did, I want to start that down in Miami and get things going because it’s definitely important.” Diddy famously backed the “Vote or Die” campaign in the early 2000s, while Jay-Z has become more outspoken politically in recent years.

During an extended chat with Arjan Writes, Flo Rida discussed his foundation Big Dreams for Kids, the struggles he overcame growing up, and the fact that his music has an overwhelmingly positive vibe.

Flo said he was lucky early on that he was able to score hits without having to write about negative influences. “I was happy that I had something my mom could listen to or elder adults could listen to and not bash me. I’ve always been a versatile artist. I could take it there, but for the most part I just tend to enjoy the success, being able to travel around the world, see beautiful places, put smiles on young adults to older adults’ faces.”

Watch the Flo Rida Interview With Arjan Writes

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