Found in the Inbox: Joe Budden, Tory Lanez and Fabolous “Flex

Had Joe Budden not become a rapper, the plan B was law. “I would have become a lawyer,” the Jersey City MC says in the biography the Rive Video Promotion campaign for “Flex” sent along, “because I like to debate.” Then, with characteristic humor: “But I wasn’t that good at the school thing.”

From the mixtape circuit to Def Jam

The campaign describes a rapturous storyteller with a cocky flair for wordplay, skills not so different from a courtroom’s. Budden built a following on the East Coast mixtape circuit before a Def Jam deal and a self-titled 2003 debut, with the Just Blaze-produced “Pump It Up” and “Fire” featuring Busta Rhymes. “I just want to give my fans the same quality of music that I’ve been bringing since day one,” Budden says.

Three voices on “Flex”

“Flex” brings together Budden, Toronto’s Tory Lanez and Fabolous. The bio notes Budden’s earlier cameo on a Fabolous remix, so this is a reunion as much as a feature, with a melodist added to the mix.

Why it was in the inbox

Budden never stopped arguing the case on record. “Flex” is closing arguments with a hook.

Watch the official video

Quotes and biography from Rive Video Promotion’s campaign for “Flex.” This feature updates Exposed Vocals’ original October 2016 post.