BDE x FLEX
BDE X FLEX
Photography & Fashion : Jonas Martinez
How did you two meet each other?
BDE: It’s a funny story because we are from the same area and people were just like “there is this guy who might be trying to steal your swag” and so obviously I had to find out who he was (laughs). But jokes aside, we eventually got introduced through mutual friends and from day one we have just been making music together.
Flex: Back then, around 2012, there was really no one into fashion, lifestyle and music the way we were seeing it. The vibe we wanted to get on was kind of lowkey while most of the scene was very mainstream and especially in our area, we are from deep West so nobody would understand what we were about. But then we literally linked up and showed them.
BDE: You know at the time we were like 15 and it’s the time where you proper start shaping your creative identity so meeting someone who had the same vision was like some confirmation that I was on the right path.
You mentioned 2012, were there some music or fashion inspiration around you before that point?
Flex: Back in the day growing up, I didn’t really have any fashion inspirations family wise; it was more about what I liked and what I found cool to wear. Still today most of my family don’t get the vibe that I’m on to be honest.
BDE: It was the same for me you know, but in my house there was always music playing, either you liked it or not it was there. I just happened to like it and it grew into me. Music was always meant to be as I knew from these times that I had a special ear for it.
“We know who we are as artist and without this process you can easily find yourself being confused about it.”
Was it easy making the jump to start your own creative process and making it public?
Flex: For my part I would say that it was a smooth transition as my entire entourage knew I always wanted to get into my creative vision in a way or another. From my early days in school, I always been into entertaining people around me. It started with dancing then it transitioned to music, but yeah it was almost logic for everyone.
BDE: Very different for me as I was more reserved on what I was doing creatively. If you were very close to me you would know what I was on, otherwise you would have no idea. Meeting Flex pushed me towards being unapologetic with the need I had to express myself through my music and making it known by others.
When would you say it became musically serious for your duo?
Flex: We’ve been doing music for a long time now, but I would say that it became serious in the last 3 years. Our mindset changed when we realised that we could do something with the audience that we grew and the people supporting our vision. You know it can take a long process finding your creative identity, but we know where we want our music to go and the message we’re trying to spread.
BDE: Knowing that we first linked up around 10 years ago is mad because we can look back and see the process it took us to get to where we are but in a way it’s beautiful you know, everything about us happened in an organic way. We know who we are as artist and without this process you can easily find yourself being confused about it.
We can tell through your music, the pride you two have being from West London. What is so different about this area compared to rest of London?
Flex: First thing first, I have to say the energy. In West we have a fresh energy and that’s because we had to create a new wave, our own wave. It’s only in the recent years that people started paying attention to what’s happening in West but before that everyone was grinding on coming up with something new. We dress different, move different, think different. Everyone from here had to focus on themselves and their process which made everything more real.
BDE: Coming from West meant that we had to work a bit harder than people from other areas. We didn’t really have anyone who blew up around here, so we had to learn everything by ourselves which we can’t complain about; it only made us stronger. Back to our very first shows we always had to go performing in east or south but today things are moving and creatives from West London get the flowers they deserve. It’s great, we’re the “cool” ones now.
“We’re very grateful for our growth, the people we had with us at the start of our journey and the ones we got to meet along the way. We’re currently working on releasing more songs and who knows, our tape eventually.”
How did you get inspired at first and how did you cultivate the inspiration?
BDE: It was also very organic back then in term of getting inspired. We would get to link up with our people and someone would always say something like “Yo look at this picture”, or “listen to this song” and then you would spend time learning about it. People were not getting lost into Instagram as they do today, so everyone was really about their research.
Flex: Tumblr was definitely a platform where we could get inspired visually to shape the image we would want for ourselves. It was almost exclusively a creative platform which was very refreshing at the time.
BDE: When it comes to music influences, we can both agree that someone like ASAP Rocky played a big role inspiring us on how we wanted our music to sound.
How do you see the relation between music and fashion?
Flex: Personally, I see us more as artists than “rappers” so we cannot express ourselves only through music. It got to be the full package that comes with our image and the lifestyle we’re trying to share with people. I see fashion as important as music in our creative process.
BDE: I might as well quote Flex on this one, feeling the exact same way.
How did you manage the growth of your music ?
Flex: Most of the things we’ve been able to accomplish were supported by ourselves or someone from our entourage. It can be hard sometimes, but you learn a lot from it, when it comes to budget, being your own PR and all the rest. It’s another aspect of getting to know yourself and what you’re capable of to sustain your art.
What is there to expect from you two in a near future ?
BDE: You know how it is, we cannot really say too too much but you should expect to hear from us. This year is gonna be the year.
Flex: We’re very grateful for our growth, the people we had with us at the start of our journey and the ones we got to meet along the way. We’re currently working on releasing more songs and who knows, our tape eventually.