How BossMan Dlow Created a Hit Co-Signed By Lil Baby, Ciara, Quavo and Millions of Listeners

Michael Saponara
·7 min read
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Initially, BossMan Dlow didn’t think he crafted a breakout hit in “Get In With Me” — after recording the track last year, he quickly discarded it into his dossier of files and got back to working on his next hopeful street anthem. But he’s happy to be wrong: the song become his debut entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-February and has since reached a No. 49 high in five weeks on the chart. In the March 1-7 tracking week, “Get In With Me” earned 9.6 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

The 25-year-old credits the slick rhymes on the trunk-rattling single to the alcohol flowing through him during a November studio session in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Patrón was talking to me,” he tells Billboard. “That beat came on and I think I had just spent $1250 on some shoes — so that was in my brain, ‘Pair of shoes $1250.’ It just came to me on some drunk s–t to be real.”

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Dlow motivates listeners with his work hard, play hard mentality stacking paper and getting fly to floss on the competition. (“You wanna be a boss, you gotta pay the price,” he raps on “Get In With Me.”) And he isn’t apologizing for his making recent waves in the industry, either, breaking through after pounding on rap’s door seeking entry since 2019 (“I’m trying to step on they throat — ya hear me”).

He signed a record deal with Alamo Records last summer, and he’s the latest integral piece to an already-loaded R&B/hip-hop roster that boasts stars Rod Wave and Lil Durk. And with a label team in tow, life is moving faster than ever for the burgeoning Florida native. He’ll look to stay hot with the release of his gritty Mr. Beat the Road mixtape on Friday (March 15). The 17-track project boasts features from Sexyy Red, Rob49 and more.

Below, Dlow tells Billboard about the success of “Get In With Me,” manifesting a Future collab and his entrepreneurial plans outside of music.

Did you know “Get In With Me” was a hit when you first recorded it?

Hell nah. I had just ran through it. I heard the beat and that probably took me 45 minutes to an hour and then I was like, “You know what? F–k it, next song.” Type of s–t. That’s just another song. [I’m] punching in freestyling. I used to write. Now I don’t be having no time like that. I just go in that b—h and speak my mind, which is a little better.

Where were you eating hibachi on the 50th floor?

That’s boss activity. Get you a bad b—h and take her to the 50th floor and order the most expensive s–t you can. You know, just living life. Doing s–t to talk about doing s–t.

When did you know it was a hit outside your fanbase?

When I first did the freestyle, the s–t went up to like 200,000 likes. I ain’t never had that many likes. Then it was people reposting it. Rod Wave, Moneybagg Yo, even Ciara posted it, DaBaby wanted to get on it. He posted it. A lot of reaction from big rappers too so it’s really crazy.

I saw Quavo using your lyrics in an Instagram caption. What do you think about seeing that?

That s–t crazy. From playing these dudes’ [songs] to now they playing my music. I never talked to him, he just did that.

What was your reaction to making the Hot 100?

The s–t just keep getting crazier and crazier. That’s hard as f–k to do, bro. Especially rap music. It’s unbelievable.

Do you ever have the mentality of “I’m trying to make the Hot 100” when making music?

Nah, I was really in the streets. This is new to me. So my manager telling me, “You at No. 52 on Billboard [Hot 100].” Like damn, Billboard?! I don’t really know what it mean but you know that s–t is hard.

What do you think about “Get In With Me” taking off on TikTok and helping promote it?

Yeah, I seen Lil Baby posted it. It’s crazy. I really didn’t know that song was gonna do all that. That’s what I learned. It be the songs you don’t like. That’s just how it goes. I’m not saying like I thought it was trash, I’m saying more I put it to the [side] like this ain’t one of ‘em. This ain’t my main focus.

How’d you link up with the producer Dxntemadeit?

Yeah, I f–k with bro. Bro was in the studio with us and we got a couple beats off him. I f–k with his selection and how he make his beats. We started working and we gonna keep it going. We got us some [more] s–t coming for sure.

How did you end up signing with Alamo last year? The label is loaded with you, Lil Durk and Rod Wave to name a few.

Real street. My music started off in Tallahassee and started swinging its way up north and down south in Florida. Couple rappers were reposting my music from the start, and it ended up having me to keep going. [I signed with Alamo during] Last year around August or September. Yeah, we finna crush. We got no time to play.

What was your childhood like growing up? I know you were a hoops fan.

Yeah, Port Salerno. Small hood running around doing kid s–t. Riding dirt bikes and s–t. Couple of streets to ride on, couple of dirt path roads to ride on. Play a little basketball and it’s really just the streets after that. You’ll catch the streets young where I’m from. It’s all around. You end up doing street s–t and then you end up in trouble and then you end up all in now. Just some small city.

Who were some of your early music inspirations?

My people used to play old-school music. I used to play Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa. That was my s–t.

What did you find so appealing about Future’s music?

He’s been going for a long time and he can drop a hit whenever he wants to. It speaks for itself. I want to be long-lasting like that. He’s probably looking at 20 years right now.

We’re gonna get that Dlow and Future collab?

We definitely gon’ get it.

I read you wanted to change your name from BossMan Dlow. What was it gonna be?

Yeah, in 2019 I was BossMan Dlow and I got locked up and had some s–t to deal with. I didn’t want to get back out and rap with the same name I got locked up in. I was gonna just be Big Za. I had a little music, and I had my listeners knowing me as BossMan Dlow. I didn’t wanna throw them off so I just kept it.

What about “Slide” by H.E.R. helped you get through being locked up?

When I heard it, I just had to go by myself and zone out. I picture me just seat laid back, foreign car, I’m on [Interstate] 95 talking to this b—h and good za. I’m just sliding and handling business. That song put me in that mode for real. I used to play a lot of Roddy Ricch too.

What are some of your 2024 goals? [Is there] Another project on the way? 

We’re trying to go on tour, bro. We trying to get this tour right. We trying to get to the arenas and sell out arenas and make better music. We gon’ stay consistent. We gon’ keep it rolling. Another tape and we gon’ have an album this year too.

Bossing up, what other ventures do you have lined up to create avenues for income outside of music?

I want a trucking business. We gon’ rent and sell cars. We gon’ buy property houses. We gon’ build houses. We gon’ own car washes and restaurants. We gonna do it all. I want every store you pass to be Dlow’s establishment. You could come work for Too Slippery Entertainment.

A version of this story originally appeared in the March 9, 2024, issue of Billboard.

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