The number of days until Flo Rida hits the Prince George stage is getting low, low, low, low.
The rap superstar will be at CN Centre on Wednesday night.
The man who named his stage act for his home state, the most southerly point of mainland U.S.A., is coming for what he believes is his most northerly concert ever done on the continent.
Prince George is a long way from the Carol City projects he was born in, but there are hiphop fans here, and he's coming to meet them face to face.
"I'm overwhelmed by everyone on social media who's anticipating. It's my passion, I can't wait," Flo Rida told The Citizen in an exclusive interview.
"I'm always making sure I embrace the fans and let them know I appreciate the support," he said.
"I couldn't be doing what I'm doing without them. Like I said, it's my passion, and I'm always giving 1,000 per cent."
He gets to reach sizes and scopes of audience most musicians only dream of. He's one of the world's most downloaded and video-viewed performers of the past 10 years. He first hit big with the multi-platinum single Low (it featured fellow hiphop star T-Pain and a remix was done by fellow Carol City notable Pitbull).
Then he crashed the Billboard Chart gates with Sugar featuring Wynter Gordon on vocals, helped Jessica Mauboy burst onto the scene with their duet hit Running Back, then he smashed again with his Kesha duet Right Round.
Other major hits include Good Feeling, Wild Ones, Whistle, and just in case you think he peaked early, his most recent package kicked two singles - G.D.F.R. (Going Down For Real) and My House - into the Billboard Top 10 and his latest album is about to drop.
It's called The Perfect 10 and three promo singles - Hello Friday, the swamp-bluesy Who's With Me and Who Did You Love - have already started jumping.
Sometimes Flo Rida hits with all-original material that radiates out of his creative kitchen, and sometimes he gathers up sample hooks and welds them into his frame. In so doing, he gives new life to past hits as well as builds his own. For some examples, Good Feeling contains key vocal samples from Etta James's 1962 single Something's Got a Hold on Me, while Right Round leans on the '80s hit You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record, Baby), G.D.F.R. has bits of War's superhit Low Rider, and I Cry is an ode to ghetto kids laid over a bed of Brenda Russell's ballad When He Plays Piano In The Dark.
"It has to feel good. If it feels good, then I'll go along with it," said Flo Rida of choosing samples.
"Other than that, I'm just being creative myself, coming up with something clever. Sometimes I'm using pen and paper, or I'll write using my cell phone, or just go in the booth and freestyle what comes up. Not like freestyle rap, but freestyle the concept. Not a lot of people involved - usually just myself and maybe one or two people. I've been doing this nonstop so now I just go with the flow. There's nothing that I'm challenged by other than just making sure I stay disciplined. Staying focused on what you did since day one, the stuff you did to get here - keep doing that. I'm not easily distracted."
Dedication to your craft is the philosophy he said would stand aspiring rappers in the best stead, and that goes for anything you're passionate about.
"First and foremost, you definitely have to be passionate about it. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does. I'm a guy who took the initiative to say this is what I want to do, I don't care about a Plan B, this has gotta happen."
After that, he said, it was a matter of seeking out good role models and associating himself with quality people.
He is now doing his best to be that role model. His contributions to charity are epic, and his favourite philanthropic targets are right at home in the Florida neighbourhood where he grew up.
Anti-poverty initiatives, inner city initiatives and education initiatives are the main themes.
"I have my own football league, track and field, basketball - probably about 15,000 kids (reached by his sports sponsorships)," he said.
"Day to day I have my team who looks after them. I just opened a new gym. I'm making sure we keep them busy so they're always focused on school first, education first. I think that started from home and watching my parents be the role models, how they communicated with life and different people. They definitely inspired me. My hat's off to them."
Perhaps that respect for family, roots, upbringing, is what compelled him to represent his home state when it came to chose a stage name. Flo Rida has a different phonetic flow when you say it out loud than when you see it written.
He delights in seeing people snap their fingers in realization when they put together Flo Rida literally as Florida.
It has made him an unofficial ambassador of his home as much as Emmitt Smith, Wesley Snipes, Pat Boone, Vince Carter or Josh Donaldson are.
"It feels amazing. It gives me goose bumps even thinking about it - people come to Florida and they think of me," he said.
He'll bring the sunshine and the gold of his records all the way up to Prince George on July 20, along with special musical guests Drum N DJ featuring Brett Jones and
DJ Kav from Calgary.
