Flex (Mad Cobra song)

"Flex"
Single by Mad Cobra
from the album Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry
B-side	"Yes or No"
Released	30 July 1992 (1992-07-30) [1]
Genre	R&B [2]
Length	3:55
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Ewart Brown Brian Thompson
Producer(s)	Clifton Dillon Sly Dunbar
Mad Cobra singles chronology
"Love Fever" (1991) "Flex" (1992) "Dead End Street" (1993)
Music video
"Flex" on YouTube

"Flex" is a song co-written and performed by Jamaican dancehall recording artist Mad Cobra, issued as the first single from his eighth studio album, Hard to Wet, Easy to Dry (1992), by Columbia Records. It is his only song to date to appear on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13 on the chart in 1992. It also peaked at number one on the Billboard rap chart. ^[3]

Composition

Mad Cobra stated that he was on a flight returning from New York, and was watching an exercise video on the in-flight entertainment system, and the lyrics "How this lady flex like she want to have sex?" came to him. He wrote the lyrics for the song on an air sickness bag in his plane seat and took them to the studio when he arrived in Jamaica. The song was meant to be an uptempo dancehall track in Mad Cobra's usual style, but became a slower R&B song when the backing tape accidentally slowed down and Mad Cobra slowed down his vocals to match the tape speed. ^[2]

Music video

The official music video for "Flex" was directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Flex" by Mad Cobra Chart (1992-1993) [3] Peak position Canada Retail Singles ( The Record ) [4] 1 US Billboard Hot 100 13 US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales ( Billboard ) 12 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks ( Billboard ) 7 US Hot Rap Singles ( Billboard ) 1 US Rhythmic Top 40 ( Billboard ) 27

Decade-end charts Decade-end chart performance for "Flex" by Mad Cobra Chart (1990–1999) Position Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) [5] 63

References

1. "Flex [Single] - Mad Cobra –Reviews". AllMusic . Retrieved 30 March 2021.
2. Cooke, Mel (13 June 2017). "Story of the Song: 'Flex' a glorious musical trial". The Gleaner . Retrieved 16 April 2021.
3. "Mad Cobra | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
4. "Hits of the World: Canada" (PDF). Billboard . 20 February 1993. p. 50. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
5. Lwin, Nanda. "Top 100 singles of the 1990s". Jam! . Archived from the original on 29 August 2000. Retrieved 26 March 2022.

External links

• "Flex" at AllMusic
• " Flex " at Discogs (list of releases)