Flexx Carter’s new EP “The Strangest Life I’ve Ever Known” releases August 22nd and it was more than worth the wait. The Strangest Life I’ve Ever Known takes no prisoners, swinging at everyone from music executives, fashion designers, brands, anyone standing in his way or out of step with his beliefs. Global rap stars, District Magazine, hell even NewEra catch strays along the way. It’s unapologetic, loud, and locked into its mission from the first bar. Flexx isn’t here to play nice, he’s here to draw lines. What follows is a record that’s as confident as it is confrontational, full of clever storytelling, ridiculous rap gymnastics that he makes look simple, all with production that feels thought through down to the last detail, shout out to Darklands Audio Recording on that. Momentum-wise, this drop has always felt inevitable. After the run-up around “No Discussion” and “Work” Flexx kept the energy high with steady teasers across socials. The build-up didn’t feel like smoke and mirrors either; it felt like he was loading a statement piece and letting everyone watch him chamber the round.
That statement lands straight away as we’re thrown into a move most rappers have shied away from, an old-school skit intro that plays like a breaking news broadcast. The “report” brands him a controversial rapper and lays out the mission before the beat even lands. Through the anchor, Flexx frames himself as a superior rapper with “a fucking loud mouth,” closing the segment with a stance that sets the tone for everything that follows: “you’re either with him or against him.” It’s bold, defiant, and the perfect invitation into what becomes a very personal warpath. From that skit we’re right into “Heads or Tails”. The little details were the first thing I noticed: the coin flip, the phone-call/studio snippets, the sense of cohesion that screams hours of tinkering. Sonically it leans on a Kanye-ish bounce, but the draw is Flexx’s in-your-face storytelling. He’s not hedging. “Good looks, no fucks that’s the vibe I bring,” turns into a full calling-out streak “radios that play my shit in rotation, I love you. And to that clothing brand… fuck you!” He doubles down after a short fake-out fade: “it’s time to play you, still didn’t name you, bet you hate me now… anyway it rhymes with fair share… I told you I don’t fucking care… I said that to your face and now I’m saying it over a kick and a snare.” All of this and it’s still only the first track of the EP. I’ve found this one being the most replayable track for me on the album.
From that we move onto “No Discussion” featuring the crazy talented Joe Butler. We’ve already talked about “No Discussion” on the site when it was released but everything we said still holds true. The track is one of the more calmer tracks across the record and showcases two rising stars at their very best. Another recent release “Work” pivots the mood without dropping quality. The hook on this one is sticky “take me somewhere, that I don’t wanna work no more” and the production is clean with smart ad-libs tucked around the edges. Flexx toggles between quick bursts and a near-conversational cool, landing relatable lines like: “here I am, working a minimum wage, 9–5, this isn’t living it’s just being alive.” It’s fed-up, but never joyless. If anything it serves to show the mindset of an artist who feels disillusioned with the 9-5 rat race. A guy who has so much talent that he feels it’s being wasted working a dead-end job. We’ve all been there.
“Out of This World” snaps back into a grimier stance. It has a slow, calculated delivery over something that nods to early Eminem/D12 with a bit of Biggie grit. It’s a short boost of self-confidence that clears space for “Superhero”. This was one of my most anticipated tracks from all of the promotional teasers Flexx has released over the last few months. This is the unapologetic side of Flexx at his best. It has his signature themes running through it like his space-themed metaphors and motivational undertones and also has really clever fighter imagery stitched throughout with lines like “you bring the Fury I’ll bring the Usyk,” a nod to Tyson vs Oleksandr before subtly bringing in another Tyson with the line “lucky I’m iron on the mic,” and ending it with a Floyd Mayweather line “undefeated like Floyd.” All of this is done so effortlessly that it can be easy to miss. The last scheme in Superhero is where Flexx really lets loose though, firing off a stream of bars that are direct and razor sharp. It’s a full-on verbal sprint “I don’t give a shit, I’m a misfit, an overworked plumber in this bitch…” where he flips from frustration with the world to mocking the state of modern music. He keeps piling it on, questioning who’s responsible for “this shit,” calling out how so much of today’s output can leave you wishing you didn’t exist, before flipping the tone into something almost comic: “ah fuck it I’m done I’ve gotta take a piss” “Flexx, take us out now, but make it quick, before NewEra makes a fucking remix to this.” It’s a call-back to the album’s opening theme of aiming shots at anyone in his way, while still keeping that cheeky light-hearted not giving an f vibe.
“My Pace” might be the purest showcase of his ability on the whole record. The whole idea of the song is doing things on his own time, on his own terms, carving out confidence in himself even when it feels like everyone else is racing ahead, a feeling that I’m sure most listening will relate to. The rhyme schemes on this track are just ridiculous in their intricacy. The scheme of “fascinate/procrastinate/half my age/their own place” is so so good, especially when it slides effortlessly into the next “this/chef’s kiss/test this” scheme. It’s the kind of writing you have to rewind a few times just to appreciate how seamless it is. Even while showing off all of his technical ability he still makes it personal. Lines like “if I don’t get signed, then fuck it I’ll just sign myself, throw a party and invite myself” show off that self-driven mentality. It’s cocky, but it’s also real. And then he flips it on the industry with “I don’t give a … if you accept this or reject this like A and Rs do to all my press kits, maybe sad songs are just the preference,” a shot at 90% of the modern music industry there in a line. All this before mashing it all together with this line “number one’s my residence, I’m getting better and better it never ever ends.” I had to go back and listen to that a few times because of how good it was. My brain genuinely couldn’t comprehend how he thought that up. Lyrically, this track is one of the strongest statements on the project. Flexx’s writing has leveled up.
Finally, we reach the title track and closing track “The Strangest Life I’ve Ever Known”. It starts slow and chilling, almost confessional “this the strangest life that I’ve ever known, known….” and doubles down on the record’s line in the sand: you’re with him or you’re not. The last minute fractures into distortion and splice-happy chaos is a welcome switch up. It’s a smart ending, no neat bow, just momentum. Almost as if it’s like “yeah I’ve dropped this masterpiece and now it’s on to the next.”
Flexx is holding a live show and listening party to launch his EP today the 22nd of August in his hometown of Tramore. Tickets are on sale through his socials and available on the door too.
The Strangest Life I’ve Ever Known comes in with a well deserved 8.5 out 0f 10
Reviewer – Alan Robinson @alan_robinson_photography