I first came across Flex Of He & I when they performed at Black Labone in 2018 while I was still Head Of Media for the show. To this day, I’m extremely grateful for the experience of being a part of that organising team because of the opportunity of coming across such performances. The type of music the collective makes was one I only heard through the likes of Tumi & The Volume and even those projects were hard to get hold of, let alone see live.
Photo cred: Biya Designs
Since then I’ve been seeing glimpses of the group around different spaces in Pretoria, whether as fans who came to support or as performers who were booked. Throughout these moments, I was constantly enquiring about the potential of a new album and fast-forward 2 years later, we were blessed with the masterpiece “Piece Is Of A Struggle”. It was then my mission to get hold of Flex, the poetic voice and rapper behind the album, and explore his mind with regards to the coming about of the project.
Photo cred: New Age Artistry Photography
Q: Who is Flex & when did you decide to form a collective making it “Flex of He & I”?
Flex:
I’m a son of a mother, who cuts grass using a pair of scissors,
when she is done,
where she begun –
has now become a forest.
I was born in the Free State, grew up on the border of Lesotho in a small township called Wepener. I come from a family of creatives, was raised by a lineage of women and all throughout my childhood I watched my mothers make things out of nothing. I started as a spoken word artist, but before that, the writing served more as an outlet for a young shy individual who did not speak much. In 2016/2017, I gravitated towards the musicians that form He & I and that was the process of me trying to find room for poetry within a body of music.
Q: How does it feel to finally have your debut project out? How has the feedback been?
Flex: It feels great because we put out a project that I absolutely love. It was a bit of a process but I am happy that the music finally escaped. The feedback has been humbling but at the same time, it is keeping me on my toes, as much as I am incredibly thankful for the positive feedback – I am already thinking about the next set of stories I need to tell. The stories of majita a kasi need amplification also.
Q: What does “Peace Is of Struggle” mean to you & what message were you trying to get across with it?
Flex: Peace is of a Struggle emanates from “pieces of a puzzle” and speaks to the process of finding different pieces to complete the bigger picture. It is an ode to our people in that every day we are garnering experiences, garnering pieces of self and just because we do not have all the pieces figured out, it does not mean we are not whole. On a journey there are always struggles, we have to be at peace with the fact that there will always be struggles in order for us to overcome.
Q: How long did it take you to record the album?
Flex : The recording of the album stretched over a period of 3 years, it got lost, and we had to re-record. The process was both intense and beautiful in that although we have a beautiful piece of work, I personally feel like it made me a better human being. The individuals I encountered on the journey all taught me something about myself
Regarding the music getting lost… In hindsight, I realise why that particular recording had to disappear.
Q: What prompted the decision to make “Mankokosane” your first single and what does it symbolise?
Flex: Mankokosane means many things, well now it does. For me, I was initially relaying a childhood story of a goddess that resided in the sky. Re-telling these stories is part of language and culture preservation, which is why we make music. Now, the idea of asking a goddess for guidance and answers affirms feminine energy, affirms the strength of women and questions patriarchal ideas that men have the solutions/answers. This is just one of many interpretations of Mankokosane.
Q: How did you meet Mpumi Dhlamini and what prompted the decision to feature him for the track?
Flex: Again, if the first recording did not mysteriously disappear I probably would not have gotten the chance to work with Mpumi Dhlamini. My mentor, Lebo Mochudi, introduced me to Mpumi and we did a lot of post-production on the album. He mixed and mastered the album and we both felt that his genius would be perfect on Mankokosane. Mpumi contributed to a few of the other songs on the album as well.
Q: What are your plans from here? Should we expect any music videos?
Flex: We actually shot a short film for Mankokosane. The song was released in September and at this point, I am not even sure when the visuals will be made available. The plan is to collaborate more, I’m inclined to the idea of poetry/rap and jazz music so I’m hoping to do that. The plan is also to write more and record more music. As a band, we felt that some of our best songs did not make the album so maybe an EP in the near future would be ideal.
Singing high praises about how incredible the band Flex Of He & I is, is just not enough to do justice. We compensate for this by urging all art lovers to listen to this amazing album and support these talented creatives. Their new poetry-in-music album is available on all digital platforms. Find link below for all digital platforms:
Peace Is Of A Struggle:
https://lnk.to/eGd0nTIe?fbclid=IwAR3KC3cO3A8Q02zbGwpuTjFfpXecDQeXvzTL2sB1bPTBgIG6hEiaH8qQzGE
