3 days after Black Futures Month, R. Flex is right on time with “Too Late” - a flirtatious R&B cut from their incredible 2nd EP FLEX WITH BENEFITS (scheduled for release April 1, 2022). Produced by emerging producers Def Starz & Zlender, the alluring track features sultry vocals from R. Flex, Congolese afrobeat-R&B singer Desiire, Canadian pop-soul singer Tafari Anthony. The song pays homage to UK garage from Craig David and Daniel Bedingfield as well as boy bands N*Sync and Blackstreet. It’s a perfect song for daydreamers who fall in love with someone new every day.

Too Late

R. Flex boldly captures the momentum of instant gratification without commitment on “4U”. The Toronto outlier deftly cruises between full bodied belting and breathy sensuality on the 160 BPM beat. Produced by Zlender (assistant mixing engineer on Drake’s “Hotline Bling”), the futuristic electro-R&B cut recalls the hyperpop work of Charli XCX while making a daring ode to sexuality by the likes of George Michael. This is electro-R&B at its fiercest. Get into it!

4U (Prod. Zlender)

DNA is a declaration of a lover’s late night commands. Produced by emerging producer Driftnote, the erotic-R&B track features the irresistible overdubs of R. Flex. Different from the typical 4/4 time signature, Flex deftly navigates a 12/8 beat with surprising rhythms cohering the moods of curiosity, sexuality & mystery. “DNA” recalls the works of Janet Jackson & Charli XCX with hints of Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s perfect for lovers looking to go deeper into each other’s dark desires.

DNA (Prod. Driftnote)

R. Flex resists the flattening of time on ONCE UPON A FLEX. Hot off the heels of their 2nd EP FLEX WITH BENEFITS, which was named one of the best soul releases of April by Bandcamp, R. Flex returns with a 2-track EP of melancholic 80’s bops. Produced by David Psutka (assistant producer on myst milano’s album SHAPESHYFTER), the EP recalls the groove of 80’s R&B while traversing more current topics like sex with men on the DL & embarassing public breakdowns. Pay close attention to their vocal performance. At the turn of a phrase, they can go from soft and understanding to tragic and downtrodden. The results are R. Flex’s most vulnerable, paranoid, and honest work to date. Their ability to navigate two time periods at once makes for a cotemporal record that reveals emotions, experiences, and events that were always already bubbling under the surface of 80’s R&B.

Hounds Of Hell

The Fog

Get to know the future of R&B: R. Flex. Named as Now Toronto’s Artist to Watch in 2022, R. Flex is scrupulously revealing their vision for 2022. Having just released their incredible second EP FLEX WITH BENEFITS, R. Flex is ready to change the shape of R&B. Simply put, R. Flex is an underground star in the making. They were one of the first artists to perform on Club Quarantine: one of the world’s biggest online dance parties to emerge at the beginning of the pandemic. Their new EP FLEX WITH BENEFITS was named one of the best soul releases of April by Bandcamp and an album you can't miss by Exclaim Magazine. Their showstopping performances have caught the eyes of Lido Pimienta, Shad, & LAL. Get ready to CHECK THE FLEX.

Inhale (Prod. Zlender)

La La Land (feat. Tafari Anthony)

Know Where

Too Late (ft. Desiire & Tafari Anthony)

lyrics by R. Flex
prod. Noise Level
mixed by Positive Journey

2689

Off the mixtape GONE AGAIN
Release date: January 27, 2017

Written and performed by R. Flex
Produced by @ZacharyGray
Mixed by Positive Journey

Gone Again

Containment

A Blow N Go Green Out

Written: R. Flex
Vocals: R. Flex
Production: @Zlender
Mixed, Mastered & Vocal Production: @A-Fos

https://soundcloud.com/zlender
https://soundcloud.com/afosofficial

Thursday - Single

Thursday

This is your first stop: Thursday. A room hazed in purple sounds for your deepest groove. 

Written: R. Flex
Production: @Zlender
Vocal production: @A-Fos

In & Out

This is your fourth stop: Midnight. A shower room with others chained to their masculine walls.

Written: R. Flex
Production: @A-Fos

Midnight

This is your fifth stop: Lean. A room without walls, roof, or floor; just holes in guns.

Written: R. Flex
Production: @A-Fos

Lean

This is your second stop: In & Out. A dark room blasted by strobe lights and a thudding boom to make you move. 

Written: R. Flex & @A-Fos
Production: @A-Fos

This is your final stop: Friday 13th. A bloody room. A bloody load. 

Written: R. Flex
Production: @A-Fos

Friday 13th

This is your third stop: Babylonia. A backroom beat with red lights spitting love at you. 

Written: R. Flex & @A-Fos
Production: @A-Fos

Babylonia

"Babylonia (Aknowlij Remix)" never loses the essence of what made the original so playful. Aknowlij's treatment is at once smooth and edgy, pulling form and content to their limit. He turns the dark and moody track into a disarming slice of dream pop that borders on surreal.  The title Babylonia is all the more subversive for it.

Babylonia (Aknowlij Remix)

[Intro]

Oh
Oh

Yeah...

[Chorus]
Tic for tac
I don't wanna toe the line anymore
Tell em that 
You'll be moving into my place
Issa pact
Bags I'll pack for you to walk through the door
eX is mad 
You'll be having Os on my face

[Verse 1]
Breaking his equivocation 
When he calls you baby
He don't mean his love
He means a child
Like he's cradling
Cribs and cars and ladies
Can't trust what he's saying
He's only got tricks within his cards
And you ain't a trick fuck that

[Pre-chorus]
Tonight I'll drive
Gonna pick you up 
We can X & O and cross
Out his moves 
It's your (uh) big move

[Chorus x2]
Tic for tac
I don't wanna toe the line anymore
Tell em that 
You'll be moving into my place
Issa pact
Bags I'll pack for you to walk through the door
eX is mad 
You'll be having Os on my face

[Bridge] 
Whoa wh-wh-wh-wh
Whoa wh-wh-wh-wh
Whoa wh-wh-wh-wh
Whoa, he won't like that
Whoa wh-wh-wh-wh
Whoa wh-wh-wh-wh
Whoa wh-wh-wh-wh
Whoa, he can taste that

Tic 4 tac
Dick him back
Tit 4 tat
X his O & O

Tic 4 tac
Dick him back
Tit 4 tat
X & O

Oh
Oh

Yeah...

[Chorus]
Tic for tac
I don't wanna toe the line anymore
Tell em that 
You'll be moving into my place
Issa pact
Bags I'll pack for you to walk through the door
eX is mad 
You'll be having Os on my face

[Outro]
I said yeah
I said yeah
I said yeah
I said yeah

Tic 4 Tac

Download

Vocals by R.Flex
Lyrics by R. Flex and James Baley
Production by Eytan Tobin
Mixed and Mastered by Hudson Alexander
Photo & Design by Brianna Roye
Out March 5th, 2021

Na na na 
Everytime you see me it's like
Ya ya ya
I've been keeping busy with that 
La la la
Now it's time you give me all this
Na na n-na na oh oh 

Na na na 
Everytime you see me it's like
Ya ya ya
I've been keeping busy with that 
La la la
Now it's time you give me all this 
Na na n-na na 

You're touching my nips 
Twist em slowly 
You're kissing my neck 
but I ain't saying no 
It pains me so much 
Cause you know me 
I'm falling from grace 
Now I'm back on the floor 

Na na na 
Everytime you see me it's like
Ya ya ya
I've been keeping busy with that 
La la la
Now it's time you give me all this
Na na na na oh oh 

Na na na (Na na-ah) 
Everytime you see me it's like
Ya ya ya (ya ya-ah) 
I've been keeping busy with that 
La la la (La la ah) 
Now it's time you give me all this 
Na na n-na na (Na na na) 

Excuse me? 
Beg your pardon? 
It's a problem when 
you're teasing me. Full stop. 
What you want with 
With my body 
I can't take no more
Cause it's 4 P.M.
You're going home again 
You're going back to him 
Can't let you 
And yet you wanna be free 
Want you free with me 
But you lock me up 
Every time you leave 

Na na na (Na na na) 
Everytime you see me it's like 
(Everytime you see me) 
Ya ya ya
I've been keeping busy with that 
La la la
Now it's time you give me all this 
(You give me oh) 
Na na n-na na oh oh 

Na na na (Ooo) 
Uh-uh oh
Na na na 
Uh-uh oh
Na na na 
This na na 
This na na 
Oh

Na Na Na

Meet cheeky R&B creator, R. Flex. They dare to change the shape of R&B, blending in electronic sounds and pop hooks. Channelling the impish spirit of Janet Jackson, Tinashe, and Kelela, they push the genre’s BPM to exciting places. Their commitment to storytelling through music and fashion explores intimacy, self-discovery, and identity. They challenge traditional narratives of love and self-love, creating safe spaces for queer joy and expression. As a Black non-binary transfemme, authenticity is at the core of their work. 

Their high-energy 2022 EP Flex With Benefits earned praise from Exclaim, Bandcamp, and The Star. Featuring collaborations with Tafari Anthony and Desiire, the EP explored queer desire and empowerment. Tracks like ‘Too Late,’ ‘4U,’ and ‘DNA’ earned global recognition, appearing on queer playlists in Amsterdam, Toronto, and New York. 

In their second EP of 2022, Once Upon A Flex, R. Flex slowed the BPM but heightened the vulnerability, garnering critical acclaim from Earmilk as a trailblazer. As one of the first artists to perform at Club Quarantine, their electrifying performances solidified them as an underground star in the making. They’ve opened for artists like Haiku Hands, Khalifa, and Shad with a flair that continues to make its mark. Distinct and forward-thinking, you have every reason to Check The Flex.

R. Flex

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