Aston George Taylor Jr.[1] (born August 5, 1968)[1] better known
as Funkmaster Flex is an American hip hop DJ, rapper, musician
and producer on New York City's Hot 97 radio station and host of
the hit MTV show Funk Flex Full Throttle.
A New York City native, Funkmaster Flex [2] is synonymous with Hip
Hop. For over a decade, he has reigned as America's No. 1 Hip Hop
DJ personality, reaching more than two million listeners a week through
his popular radio show on WQHT HOT 97 in New York.[3] His turntable
production talents and artist relationships have earned him five
gold records for major-label mix albums like the 60 Minutes of Funk
and The Tunnel.[4]
Funkmaster Flex has successfully connected his Hip Hop celebrity
status to the automotive industry to become a evangelist of car customization
culture.[5] He uses television to showcase his passion for cars.
Currently, he is excited to be working on his second season of his
new show Funk Flex Full Throttle[6] - a high-adrenaline tour of music
and car culture, the ultimate ride for fans who love to live in the
fast lane on MTV with celebrities like Diddy and Ludacris.[7]
His eight-city Funkmaster Flex Custom Car and Bike Show tour keeps
him constantly connected with the latest trends and styles happening
in the automotive industry.[3] He then puts this knowledge to good
use with his high-profile custom-car club, Team Baurtwell where he
customizes cars for attention grabing personalities in film, music
and professional sports including Danica Patrick, 50 Cent, Queen
Latifah, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Manny Ramirez.[3]
Various companies including Ford Motor Company, Sony and Microsoft
have noticed Flex's success and have supported his career with several
marketing/endorsements deals over the years. The high-point of these
relationships was the creation of the limited-production 2008 Ford
Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition which sold in dealerships nationwide.[8]
Currently, he is working with Flowmaster Exhaust, Royal Purple, Dupli-Color,
Kicker Audio, Lincoln Technical Institute, U.S. Marines, TCI Transmissions,
Sony and Ford.[9]
[edit] Music
Funkmaster Flex (Aston George Taylor Jr.) was born in the Bronx
borough of New York City with music flowing through his veins thanks
to his father Aston George Taylor Sr., a sound system DJ for local
clubs throughout the city.[10] By 16, Flex began DJing at local nightclubs
a perfecting his mixing and turntable talents.[10] At 19, he got
his first job as a record boy for fellow Bronx native, Chuck Chillout
for WRKS 98.7 Kiss-FM in New York. One evening, Chillout was late
for his show and Funkmaster Flex got his big break and was allowed
to stand in, thus beginning his career in radio. [11]
He later left KISS for a brief stay at 107.5 WBLS-FM, meanwhile
Flex kept up his club appearances at many of Victor Bruno's operated
nightclubs including The Tunnel, Home Bass and Mecca. Bruno helped
convinced Joel Salkowitz a regional vice president of HOT 97 to begin
airing live broadcasts from clubs where Flex was performing like
The Tunnel. He called the hours of Saturday evening programming the "Saturday
Night House Party". When they realized the resurange of Hip
Hop was coming fast from its fallout in the eighties they increase
the hours and days of these style of shows.[12]
Salkowitz went and saw Funkmaster Flex perform and work the crowd
at the Home Bass. After that night, he was convinced that Flex was
his man and in the spring of 1992, Funkmaster Flex began mixing and
hosting his own show, a specialized rap show on HOT 97. The first
pop station in New York to showcase rap. Flex has been with HOT 97
ever since and aired nationally through syndication throughout the
weeknights and weekends.[12]
[edit] Production - The Business of Making Music
By the mid-nineties, Flex signed by a major record label, Loud Records
for a series of innovative 60 Minutes of Funk mixtapes, with four
of them making gold status.[11] On The Tunnel with Def Jam in 1999,
Flex managed to get some of the biggest names in hip hop to contribute,
including Dr. Dre, Nas, Jay-Z, DMX, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J,
Method Man and 50 Cent to participate.[11]
He currently continues to be a prolific producer with a solid list
of albums and artist he has supported over the years including Yvette
Michele, Pras, DJ Kool, Armand Van Helden and many others.[13]
[edit] Television
Flex first started appearing on television in the early nineties
on Yo! MTV Raps hosted by Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover and Doctor Dré.[15][14]
Soon, MTV began to ask Flex to do various spots on up and coming
Hip Hop artists and his true passion for cars and trickin' out their
celebrity rides.
In 2003, Flex debuted his first television series, Ride with Funkmaster
Flex on the Spike cable network.[15] The show documented the explosive
subculture of cars that are popular in the Hip Hop culture and with
Hollywood celebrities. Noteworthy moments in series included a look
into Diddy's private jet and a visit to Eminem's studio in the Motor
City and look at his hot GMC Yukon.[15][16]
Soon after Ride's success, Flex wanted to explore his passion for
car racing and developed a unique way to get it done with a new one-off
Spike TV show race event - The Funkmaster Flex Super Series Invitational.
[16] The race featured 60 hungry late model stock car drivers from
across the country turning laps at The Waterford Speedbowl in Conn.[16]
Flex went behind the scene to see what it takes to become a winner
in racing while bringing out celebrities like Orange County Choppers,
LL Cool J and Lil' Kim to watch the event.[16] Monica Taylor Enterprise
- Rare Footage of Super Series
ESPN noticed Ride with Funkmaster Flex and decided they wanted a
show to help them reach more automotive enthusiast who watched racing,
NASCAR and sports. Flex came a calling with a show focusing on custom
cars and interviewing leading sports celebrities from the NBA, NFL
and Major League Baseball and the world of Hip Hop including Danica
Patrick, Terrell Owens and Jason Giambi. The show was called All
Muscle with Funkmaster Flex and began airing early 2007.[17]
Later in 2007, Flex shifted his focus to influencing automotive
design. Based off what he was witnessing at the competitions at his
various Custom Car & Bike Show tour events, he decided he wanted
to push the envelope with these amateur designers with a new show
- Car Wars with Funkmaster Flex on ESPN.[18] With initial sponsorship
from Castrol and later Ford Motor Company, Car Wars asked different
car customizers from across the country to modify existing vehicles
for cash prizes. The show developed lots of noteworthy designed Ford
Expeditions, Ford Fusions and other vehicles. If featured famed automotive
designers like Patrick Schiavone, former Ford North American Truck & SUV
Design Director now Vice President of Design at Whirlpool and Ford
Explorer Exterior Design Manager, Melvin Betancourt and Louis D'erasmo
of Valanca Auto Concepts.[[17]]
For Fast Machines with Funkmaster Flex, Flex returned to Spike TV
and his customization roots once again focusing on making some exciting
muscle and modern car customization for celebrities like a 1955 Chevy
Bel Air for Dale Earnhardt Jr., a 1966 Pontiac GTO for Pontiac Enthusiast
Magazine, 1970 Chevy Chevelle for the U.S. Marines. It also featured
a fantastic interview with Royal Purple race driver Kathryn Minter.[19]
In 2010, Flex returned to his MTV roots with a new show - Funk Flex
Full Throttle. Flex was back doing what he does best: interview the
most buzzed-about hip-hop artists - with his signature raucous, familiar
style - and complete car customizations that have made him a legend
in the automotive world. Whether Flex was on location at Spring Break,
the New York Auto Show or hanging in his tricked-out garage the show
was exciting. Full Throttle also integrated reality elements as Flex
directed his team of car customizers at various builds and allowed
viewers inside the lifestyle of Hip Hop stars - be it clubbing with
Diddy, or helping Swizz Beatz select a top-of-the-line dream ride.[20]
Stay tuned for the second season of Full Throttle and a potential
new Hip Hop lifestyle series from Flex in the future.
[edit] Funk Flex - On The Road - A Lifestyle
Flex developed and promotes an annual eight-city Funkmaster Flex
Custom Car & Bike Show Tour, bringing the most exclusive and
expensive candy colored rides to fans in cities from Miami to Atlantic
City.
The tour moves across the country and has featured artists such
as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Fabolous. Each stop showcases the hottest
customized rides in competition for cash prizes, model and recording
talent search. In 2010, Flex added the Funkmaster Flex Lifestyle
Expo. The Expo featured sneaker and DJ battles, video game competitions,
skateboard demos along with discounted prices on the hottest shoes,
fitted hats and underground gear. [21]
The Tour also showcases the premiere show for sneaker enthusiasts
and Street Wear Culture, "The International Sneaker Battle." The
Battle brings together sneaker enthusiasts and everyone involved
in the culture of Hip Hop, graffiti, DJing, sneakers, clothing, art,
and overall fashion.
Flex also loves to show off his personal collection of muscle cars
at each stop. He has amassed over 40 cars in his collections. Here
are his favorites.[22]
1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass - A car his father once owned and started
his passion for American muscle cars.
1969 Dodge Charger R/T - The first muscle car he ever purchase,
even though he admits he isn't really a Mopar fan.
1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 502 - Flex's favorite and the one car he
will never part with.
1967 Ford Galaxie G-Machine - One Flex's favorite Ford products.
Bold text==Auto Design - Flex Style== In 2005, Ford Motor Company
opened its Dearborn design studio doors to Funkmaster Flex to look
at how to customize its product line-up and add exposure to the brand.
To date, Flex has worked on lot of innovative projects for Ford.[23]
2006 Ford Fusion - Flex is named the first customizer to transform
the Fusion for the street.[23]
2008 Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition - Flex follows his
idol Carroll Shelby and is given the opportunity to have a limited
edition Expedition with unique design cues with his name on it. The
car is revealed for the first time at the New York Auto Show.[24]
'08 Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition (Montreal).jpg
2009 Ford Flex - Flex reveals his version of the new crossover at
the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) along side Hip
Hop artist Nelly.[25]
2010 Ford Taurus SHO - Flex tricks out the iconic Taurus for 2009
SEMA show.[26]
2010 Ford Explorer - Flex tricks out the all-new redesigned Explorer
for the 2010 SEMA show.[27]
2011 Ford Fiesta - A contest to win an all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta
receives over a quarter of a million entries on FordUrban.com[28]
[edit] In Flex We Trust - High Octane Internet Blog
In 2010, Flex announced the official debut of his first fully interactive
Internet blog - InFlexWeTrust.com. This unique, high adrenaline site
highlights Flex's style, passions and tastes for the hip hop lifestyle
with hot categories such as: music, cars, celebrity interviews, videos,
sports, sneakers and apparel with his raw unfiltered opinions and
thoughts.
"Everyday, fans ask for my thoughts and opinions about a specific
artist, muscle car or hip-hop shoe that they might have seen or heard
about on my television or radio show. My blog allows me the perfect
platform to keep things popin' with raw honest news posts and specific
feedback directly talking back to them.[29]
The blog features-
Celebrity Interviews:
Flex's reposts all of his most newsworthy interview from his New
York HOT 97 radio and Full Throttle MTV television shows with new
insider commentary that only he posesses on stars like 50 Cent, The
Game, Diddy and many others. Followers are sure to get additional
information from Flex when his shows are over and he gets time to
reflect on these interviews.
New Music:
Flex has been a key influener is the lives of many artists and musicians
over the years and he 's not afraid to complement or criticize when
needed.
Cars:
Music is Flex's life, but cars are his passion. From his relationship
with major car manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers to his Team
Baurtwell Cutsom Car Club and eight-city Custom Car & Bike Show
Tour, Flex is always on the lookout for the latest trends in rides
and whips happening across the country.
Shoes, Hats and Hip Hop Style:
From Adidas to Nike and fitted hats and leather jackets, Flex knows
what is hot and what is not. Nuff said.
Breaking News and Current Events:
InFlexWeTrust.com also feature a host of various miscellaneous categories
like sports, fashion, tech, pictures of fans cars, nightlife and
contests. Flex will also be breaking news about his latest happenings
on his Custom Car & Bike Tour and his hit MTV television series
Full Throttle with Funkmaster Flex.
[edit] Video Games
Flex is a featured DJ on The Beat 102.7 in the 2008 Grand Theft
Auto IV - The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.[30]
He is a celebrity adversary and a unlockable free agent fullback
in season mode of ESPN NFL 2K5.[31]
Flex's music is featured in his own game - Funkmaster Flex's Digital
Hitz Factory.[32]
[edit] Controversy
[edit] 2pac
On November 22, 2010, Funkmaster Flex was caught in a small controversy
when a video recorded earlier in 2010 in New York leaked on YouTube
showing him saying negative things about rapper 2Pac on stage and
referencing that The Notorious B.I.G. was a better artist.[33] He
has gotten response from people such as Outlawz,[34][35] Nutt-So,[36]
Crooked I,[37] and Tupac's stepbrother Mopreme Shakur [38] Flex justified
his actions by saying that Tupac was a divisive force in hip hop
and criticising the long lasting effect of Tupac's negative energy.
He also claimed that he respected Tupac's musical legacy but there
was documented animosity between the two stretching back to the days
when Tupac was still alive.[39]
[edit] Discography
Flex has released several mixtape albums:
* The Mix Tape, Vol. 1: 60 Minutes of Funk (1995)
* The Mix Tape, Vol. 2: 60 Minutes of Funk (1997) (Gold)
* The Mix Tape, Vol. 3: 60 Minutes of Funk, The Final Chapter (1998) (Gold)
* The Tunnel (collaboration with Big Kap) (1999) (Gold)
* Vibe Hits, Vol. 1 (2000)
* The Mix Tape, Vol. 4: 60 Minutes of Funk (2000) (Gold)
* The Mix Tape, Vol. 5: 60 Minutes of Funk (2002)
* My Lifestyle (2002)
* Fastlane, Part 1 (2002)
* Fastlane, Part 2 (2002)
* Funkmaster Flex Car Show Tour (2005)
[edit] Singles
* Let Me Clear My Throat (with DJ Kool)
[edit] Production
[edit] 1997
Armand Van Helden - Enter the Meatmarket
* 12. "6 Minutes of Funk"
Yvette Michele - My Dream
* 03. "Summer Love"
* 05. "Crazy"
* 06. "Every Day & Every Night"
* 11. "The First Time"
* 13. "I'm Not Feeling You"
[edit] 1998
Pras - Ghetto Supastar CD2
* 02. "Here We Go"