Emerging emcee Flex Kartel continues to flex on us! With back to back bangers following hits “Get A Bag” featuring Sada Baby alongside sizzling single “Switch” to kick off 2023. DMV native combines various pockets and melodies to create a smooth catchy single. It demonstrates not only his talents but also his ability to have fun while making music.
For the new trendy track, Flex’s lyrics contrast with the flashy sound, making “Switch” an overall entertaining experience and a recommended listen. Along with the new record, the LIFEINADSLR-directed and shot visual gives perspective to the peppy audio. Additionally, the Marcdrell-produced track was engineered by Anthony Bernal.
Maintaining momentum, in celebration of his forthcoming EP, Maryland native Flex Kartel teams up with Texas rappers Sauce Walka and Peso Peso for the exciting track “Forbes”. The Spike Dee Films-directed psychedelic music video accompanies the new release.
In fact, the trio shares not only smooth bars but also vibes in a time-setting song. Revealing not only the three emcees’ songwriting abilities but also their overall musical talents and versatility. Flex Kartel, in particular, dazzles with a slick lyrical flow that sets the tone for what will be an eventual 2023 for him.
These trailblazing tracks are setting in position as a preview to a long and successful 2023 for Flex Kartel. Since stepping into the spotlight, the rising rhymer has received co-signs from Hip-Hop heavyweights such as: J.Cole, Lady London, Phil Ade, Chico Bean, Gabe of On The Radar, and many more!
Flex Kartel is a one-of-a-kind music artist from the DMV to keep an eye on. From collaborations with Wale and Sada Baby to Revolt TV broadcasting his critically praised On The Radar Freestyle in which he channels the legendary Notorious B.I.G. In fact, we had the opportunity to chop it up with the multifaceted musician where we talk the DMV, his artistry, new music, and exclusives! Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself and get familiar with this trailblazing talent.
Flex Kartel Stops By KAZI Magazine
- Hey Flex! How are you? My name is Minnee and it’s a pleasure to have you on behalf of KAZI Magazine. Let’s get right into it! For readers tuning in, who is Flex Kartel and where did it all begin?
“I’m doing fine. I can’t complain. I appreciate you having me. It’s a pleasure. Flex Kartel is a mega superstar reigning from the DMV. And it all began with me actually singing into a bingo marker with my mom while I was washing the dishes when I was a little kid”.
- Always interested in knowing the depth behind an artists’ artistry, for instance their aliases. What inspired your stage name Flex Kartel?
“I love that I appreciate that. It’s like Lil Wayne where he said the F is for and F is for flex. But, actually flex came from one of my best friends. Shoutout Gabby, we were telling one day because we always used to go to clubs as a kid. I’m not gonna say as a kid, but as a young teenager, I was sneaking into clubs like 21 and over when I was like 18. But everybody would just think I was so grown. I might not have even been 18, I think I was 17 but I was using the 21 ID that was my friend’s ID. I used to be in there and all the girls used to love me so one day she was just like all the girls always love you like you flex from one on one. I’m gonna start calling flex. And then kartel came from the era when everybody was doing gang gang gang this and I was like, I don’t want to be gang gang, but I want it to feel like it’s family oriented. So kartel actually is an acronym for “Keeping A Real Team Elevated”.
- What’s your creative process like? Do you punch in and out or put pen to pad?
“Before I was just trying to learn, so I was just trying to access YouTube videos and figure out how people would do it. But like, as time went along, I feel like art is so beautiful that every artist creates in their own way. I feel like for me, it’s a median of both because that’s where I feel like that medium right there is where I really find my gold. Because I’m going off the top and getting off the energy. But sometimes when I do the pen and paper and a vibration through that I could get into real deep thought. Fast thoughts on songs definitely creates energy but deep thoughts touch feelings”.
- With an enticing signature sound, who would you credit your musical sound and style to? How would you say the DMV inspires your sound?
“Well, you know, go go music. Definitely, I actually would play for a couple of gogo bands as a teenager. So gogo music definitely influenced my sound heavily. I think that I could create different sounds because I write for other people as well. And I can create different sounds, and different elements of music that I think comes from an element of gogo, where you have to, like recreate songs that are already out.So, so that when you have to recreate songs that are already out on different beats, it takes your mind to a creative space where you can like, Okay, now you can start being. I think it takes you to a different type of genius factor in music so it definitely has influenced me a lot. The DMV, The Go-Go music for sure”.
- Now mentioning that you pen for others as well. Can you tell us more about that and who you’ve written for?
“First time I ever wrote for somebody was when I actually first started rapping. I used to write for my friends and stuff all the time. But I didn’t really take it as me writing for artists until later on in my career. Now some of the artists that I’ve written for are the City Girls, Lafa Lucci, Wale, Miguel and a few others”.
- Your previous release “Switch” is going crazy! Can you tell us the inspiration behind the record?
“Switch” I actually was in the studio. Because it is so crazy I was writing for somebody that day, I wrote a song for somebody that day in Los Angeles. After the studio session, I think I had like, maybe like 30 minutes left. It was me and the engineer, and I was like, man, let’s try something new. I put up this batch of beats that I got from a producer named Mark Drill. I’m gonna talk to him and get the exact place where he’s from, but I will say that he’s from Germany. He’s a fan of mine from out there. He’s been sending me production for a while and let’s put up these beats. Let me see if I like something then we could do something quick. I ended up doing that record in like 30 minutes. And shot the video. We released it. And it’s been gaining a lot of traction since then”.
- In fact, you have a new single that just dropped with Sauce Walka and Peso Peso, how did that collaboration come about?
‘I had the record. I was in the studio with Wale and DJ money. I started working on that record. And probably did like half the song ended up playing it for one of my mangers Drew and he was like, Yo, I love this record. He’s like, we should he’s like, you know, I got a link to Sauce Walka and them. We should go to Houston to get them on the record. I was like shoot, if you think it is best to go down there. I’m definitely I’m a fan of Sauce Walka as well. We ended up getting on the flight go down there, linking with them. Got in the studio, and after we did the song. We ended up doing the video the same day and stayed in Houston for like a couple of days. And then we got up out of there. But it was definitely a dope experience to just like go in and meet Sauce Walka and Peso Peso. Their energy, like how they are on the internet is like that in real life so it was real vibrant and I’m grateful for the opportunity’.
- What can we expect from the forthcoming featured offering? Collaborative chemistry was crazy.
‘You will expect some more work. And some more features coming for some other artists. I got some other stuff in the tuck. But this record right here is about to go crazy. I’m already speaking it into existence, this will be viral. We’re getting a million views on this one when that drops. So I need everybody to go run it up. But I just expect a lot of greatness from this forthcoming project and the visuals are amazing. And I got the dopest team behind me pushing it. So we are about to make it shake’.
- For those just getting familiar with you, which released record of yours would you tell them to press play on to have the best understanding of who Flex Kartel is and your artistry?
“Man, I have so many different levels of artistry. So it’s going to be hard for me. Okay, top three, and I’ll give you a gem. So next weekend is Mother’s Day, right? I recorded a song last year for Mother’s Day and I played it for her last year and I remember her asking me like six months ago like you’re never gonna drop that song you made for me huh? I’m gonna drop that song on Mother’s Day. I think that that’s something that I would tell somebody to go play because I touch on different aspects of my life and how she influenced that. And I mean, they might not be able to click play today but they’ll be able to right? We’ll let them know when they could press play on it next weekend. That single is called “Maria’s Son“.
So if you do cover that, let them know they could be on the way and they will be able to look out for that. My second one would be “Recognize”. Then my third would be, “Get A Bag”. It’s all about getting to the bag. I know a lot of people who are trippin off a woman that they never had. But the thing is, I know some women who thought that we were supposed to be together but they didn’t do things that weren’t supposed to be like that. So that’s really my whole life. I freestyle that song so that was really filled with feelings”
- What’s next for Flex Kartel in 2023?
“ You can expect a project. I’m dropping a project soon following up off the single. It is going to be titled ‘Heart Of The City‘ There’s going to be new features on there as well. But lots of dope records, party records going into the summer and the spring that everybody will be able to bump and turn up to. We got visuals coming for everything and it will be very very LIT! Then after that, they will get Flex Vandross, the r&b Flex because he’s coming!
- Lastly, is there a message that you’d like to leave with fans?
“The message I want to leave with my fans is stay grounded. Stay close to God. When you got people around you who care about you stay close to them. I want to shout out my team, my manger, Drew. Want to shout out John, I want to shout out God and all the fans, everybody who believes in me. All of them are part of the team. So when you got people who believe in you just stay close to them, stay grounded, and just continue to push. If you feel like you need anything to start your vision or your dream, you don’t. You just need to start and everything will unfold”.
CONNECT WITH FLEX KARTEL ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube
