Funkmaster Flex

Funkmaster Flex

About Funkmaster Flex

[1] A New York City, Funkmaster Flex is synonymous with Hip Hop. For over a decade, he has reigned as America's #1 Hip Hop DJ personality, reaching more than two million listeners a week through his popular radio show on WQHT HOT 97 in New York. His turntable production talents and artist relationships have earned him five gold records for major-label mix albums like the 60 Minutes of Funk and The Tunnel.

Funkmaster Flex has successfully connected his Hip Hop celebrity status to the automotive industry to become a evangelist of car customization culture. He uses television to showcase his passion for cars. Currently, he is excited to be working on his second season of his new show Funk Flex Full Throttle- a high-adrenaline tour of music and car culture, the ultimate ride for fans who love to live in the fast lane on MTV with celebrities like Diddy and Ludacris.

His eight-city Funkmaster Flex Custom Car and Bike Show tour keeps him constantly connected with the latest trends and styles happening in the automotive industry. He then puts this knowledge to good use with his high-profile custom-car club, Team Baurtwell where he customizes cars for attention grabing personalities in film, music and professional sports including Danica Patrick, 50 Cent, Queen Latifah, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Manny Ramierz.

Various companies including Ford Motor Company, Sony and Microsoft have noticed Flex's success and have supported his career with several marketing/endorsements deals over the years. The high-point of these relationships was the creation of the limited-production 2008 Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition which sold in dealerships nationwide. Currently, he is working with Flowmaster Exhaust, Royal Purple, Dupli-Color, Kicker Audio, Lincoln Technical Institute, U.S. Marines, TCI Transmissions, Sony and Ford.

Music Is His Life

Funkmaster Flex (Aston George Taylor Jr.) was born in the Bronx borough of New York City with music flowing through his veins thanks to his father Aston George Taylor Sr., a sound system DJ for local clubs throughout the city. By 16, Flex began DJing at local nightclubs a perfecting his mixing and turntable talents. At 19, he got his first job as a record boy for fellow Bronx native, DJ Chuck Chillout for WRKS 98.7 Kiss-FM in New York. One evening, Chillout was late for his show and Funkmaster Flex got his big break and was allowed to stand in, thus beginning his career in radio.

He later left KISS for a brief stay at 107.5 WBLS-FM, meanwhile Flex kept up his club appearances at many of Victor Bruno's operated nightclubs including The Tunnel, Home Bass and Mecca. Bruno helped convinced Joel Salkowitz a regional vice president of HOT 97 to begin airing live broadcasts from clubs where Flex was performing like The Tunnel. He called the hours of Saturday evening programming the "Saturday Night House Party". When they realized the resurange of Hip Hop was coming fast from its fallout in the eighties they increase the hours and days of these style of shows.

Salkowitz went and saw Funkmaster Flex perform and work the crowd at the Home Bass. After that night, he was convinced that Flex was his man and in the spring of 1992, Funkmaster Flex began mixing and hosting his own show, a specialized rap show on HOT 97. The first pop station in New York to showcase rap. Flex has been with HOT 97 ever since and aired nationally through syndication throughout the weeknights and weekends.

Production - The Business of Making Music

　 By the mid-nineties, Flex signed by a major record label, Loud Records for a series of innovative 60 Minutes of Funk mixtapes, with four of them making gold status. On The Tunnel with Def Jam in 1999, Flex managed to get some of the biggest names in hip hop to contribute, including Dr. Dre, Nas, Jay-Z, DMX, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Method Man and 50 Cent to participate.

He currently continues to be a prolific producer with a solid list of albums and artist he has supported over the years including Yvette Michele, Pras, DJ Kool and Armand Van Helden.

Television - Cars Are My Passion

Flex first started appearing on television in the early nineties on Yo! MTV Raps hosted by Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover and Doctor Dre. Soon, MTV began to ask Flex to do various spots on up and coming Hip Hop artists and his true passion for cars and trickin' out their celebrity rides.

In 2003, Flex debuted his first television series, Ride with Funkmaster Flex on the Spike cable network. The show documented the explosive subculture of cars that are popular in the Hip Hop culture and with Hollywood celebrities. Noteworthy moments in series included a look into Diddy's private jet and a visit to Eminem's studio in the Motor City and look at his hot GMC Yukon[2].

Soon after Ride's success, Flex wanted to explore his passion for car racing and developed a unique way to get it done with a new one-off Spike TV show race event -The Funkmaster Flex Super Series Invitational. The race featured 60 hungry late model stock car drivers from across the country turning laps at The Waterford Speedbowl in Conn. Flex went behind the scene to see what it takes to become a winner in racing while bringing out celebrities like Orange County Choppers, LL Cool J and Lil' Kim to watch the event.

ESPN noticed Ride with Funkmaster Flex and decided they wanted a show to help them reach more automotive enthusiast who watched racing, NASCAR and sports. Flex came a calling with a show focusing on custom cars and interviewing leading sports celebrities from the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball and the world of Hip Hop including Danica Patrick, Terrell Owens and Jason Giambi.

In 2007, Flex shifted his focus to influencing automotive design. Based off what he was witnessing at the competitions at his various Custom Car & Bike Show tour events, he decided he wanted to push the envelope with these amateur designers with a new show - Car Wars with Funkmaster Flex on ESPN. With initial sponsorship from Castrol and later Ford Motor Company, Car Wars asked different car customizers from across the country to modify existing vehicles for cash prizes. The show developed lots of noteworthy designed Ford Expeditions, Ford Fusions and other vehicles. If featured famed automotive designers like Patrick Schiavone, former Ford North American Truck & SUV Design Director now Vice President of Design at Whirlpool and Ford Explorer Exterior Design Manager, Melvin Betancourt and Louis D'erasmo of Valanca Auto Concepts.

For Fast Machines with Funkmaster Flex, Flex returned to Spike TV and his customization roots once again focusing on making some exciting muscle and modern car customization for celebrities like a 1955 Chevy Bel Air for Dale Earnhardt Jr., a 1966 Pontiac GTO for Pontiac Enthusiast Magazine, 1970 Chevy Chevelle for the U.S. Marines. It also featured a fantastic interview with Royal Purple race driver Kathryn Minter.

In 2010, Flex returned to his MTV roots with a new show - Funk Flex Full Throttle. Flex was back doing what he does best: interview the most buzzed-about hip-hop artists - with his signature raucous, familiar style - and complete car customizations that have made him a legend in the automotive world. Whether Flex was on location at Spring Break, the New York Auto Show or hanging in his tricked-out garage the show was exciting. Full Throttle also integrated reality elements as Flex directed his team of car customizers at various builds and allowed viewers inside the lifestyle of Hip Hop stars - be it clubbing with Diddy, or helping Swizz Beatz select a top-of-the-line dream ride.

Stay tuned for the second season of Full Throttle and a potential new Hip Hop lifestyle series from Flex in the future.

Funk Flex - On The Road - A Lifestyle

Flex developed and promotes an annual eight-city Funkmaster Flex Custom Car & Bike Show Tour, bringing the most exclusive and expensive candy colored rides to fans in cities from Miami to Atlantic City.

The tour moves across the country and has featured artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Fabolous. Each stop showcases the hottest customized rides in competition for cash prizes, model and recording talent search. In 2010, Flex added the Funkmaster Flex Lifestyle Expo. The Expo featured sneaker and DJ battles, video game competitions, skateboard demos along with discounted prices on the hottest shoes, fitted hats and underground gear.

The Tour also showcases the premiere show for sneaker enthusiasts and Street Wear Culture, "The International Sneaker Battle." The Battle brings together sneaker enthusiasts and everyone involved in the culture of Hip Hop, graffiti, DJing, sneakers, clothing, art, and overall fashion. Flex also loves to show off his personal collection of muscle cars at each stop. He has amassed over 40 cars in his collections. Here are his favorites.

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass - A car his father once owned and started his passion for American muscle cars.

1969 Dodge Charger R/T - The first muscle car he ever purchase, even though he admits he isn't really a Mopar fan.

1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 502 - Flex's favorite and the one car he will never part with.

1967 Ford Galaxie G-Machine - One Flex's favorite Ford products.

Auto Design - Flex Style

In 2005, Ford Motor Company opened its Dearborn design studio doors to Funkmaster Flex to look at how to customize its product line-up and add exposure to the brand. To date, Flex has worked on lot of innovative projects for Ford.

2006 Ford Fusion - Flex is named the first customizer to transform the Fusion for the street.

2008 Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition - Flex follows his idol Carroll Shelby and is given the opportunity to have a limited edition Expedition with unique design cues with his name on it. The car is revealed for the first time at the New York Auto Show.

2008FordExpeditionFunkmasterFlex

2009 Ford Flex - Flex reveals his version of the new crossover at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) along side Hip Hop artist Nelly.

2010 Ford Taurus SHO - Flex tricks out the iconic Taurus for 2009 SEMA show.

2010 Ford Explorer - Flex tricks out the all-new redesigned Explorer for the 2010 SEMA show.

2011 Ford Fiesta - A contest to win an all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta receives over a quarter of a million entries on FordUrban.com

Video Games - Another Diversion

Flex is a featured DJ on The Beat 102.7 in the 2008 Grand Theft Auto IV - The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.

He is a celebrity adversary and a unlockable free agent fullback in season mode of ESPN's NFL 2K5.

Finally, he has own game - Funkmaster Flex's Digital Hitz Factory which turns your PS2 into Flex's personal recording studio.

Old Version

Aston George Taylor Jr. (born August 5, 1968) better known as Funkmaster Flex is an American hip hop DJ, rapper, musician and producer on New York City's Hot 97 radio station, described by The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop as "one of the biggest players in the game". He plays hip-hop, R&B, old school, back in the day, 80's, reggae, dancehall and reggaeton. He is on air Monday to Thursday from 7 PM to 12 AM. For Friday and Saturday he is on the air from 10 PM to 2 AM. He is featured on ESPN NFL 2K5 and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned.

Taylor was born in the Bronx, New York, his father a sound system DJ. He got a job at age 19 working for KISS-FM DJ Chuck Chillout as a record boy. When Chillout was late for a show once, Taylor was allowed to stand in, launching his radio career. He moved on to work for WBLS, while at the same time building a reputation as a New York club DJ, getting his big break when HOT 97 took him on. By the mid-1990s, his show was being aired nationally, and he was signed by Loud Records for a series of 60 Minutes of Funk mixtapes, the first of their kind to be released by a major record label. On The Tunnel (1999, Def Jam), Flex managed to get some of the biggest names in hip hop to contribute, including Dr.Dre, Nas, Jay-Z, DMX, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Method Man, and 50 Cent.

Television

Flex first appeared on Yo! MTV Raps in the 1990s and has been on MTV until 2003 when he left to do his show on Spike TV, he still appears occasionally on the network.

Flex has hosted his series on Spike TV called Ride with Funkmaster Flex from 2003–2004 and return to Spike with his new series Fast Machines with Funkmaster Flex. He has also hosted All Muscle with Funkmaster Flex and Funkmaster Flex Car Wars on ESPN, as well as Fast Machines with Funkmaster Flex. He is returning to MTV in 2010 with Full Throttle.

He is also host of the Funkmaster Flex Custom Car and Bike Shoe Tour.

Controversy

2pac

On November 22, 2010, Funkmaster Flex was caught in large controversy when a video recorded earlier in 2010 in New York leaked on YouTube showing him dissing 2Pac on stage, saying such things like "I don't fuck with 2pac" "get off his dick!" and saying that The Notorious B.I.G. is better. He has gotten response from people such as Outlawz, Nutt-So, Crooked I, and his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur Flex justified his actions by saying that Tupac was a divisive force in hip-hop and criticising the long lasting effect of Tupac's negative energy. He also claimed that he respected Tupac's musical legacy but there was documented animosity between the two stretching back to the days when Tupac was still alive.

Discography

Flex has released several mixtape albums:

• The Mix Tape, Vol. 1: 60 Minutes of Funk (1995)
• The Mix Tape, Vol. 2: 60 Minutes of Funk (1997) (Gold)
• The Mix Tape, Vol. 3: 60 Minutes of Funk, The Final Chapter (1998) (Gold)
• The Tunnel (collaboration with Big Kap) (1999) (Gold)
• Vibe Hits, Vol. 1 (2000)
• The Mix Tape, Vol. 4: 60 Minutes of Funk (2000) (Gold)
• The Mix Tape, Vol. 5: 60 Minutes of Funk (2002)
• My Lifestyle (2002)
• Fastlane, Part 1 (2002)
• Fastlane, Part 2 (2002)
• Funkmaster Flex Car Show Tour (2005)

Singles

• Let Me Clear My Throat (with DJ Kool)

Production

1997

Armand Van Helden - Enter the Meatmarket

• 12. "6 Minutes of Funk"

Yvette Michele - My Dream

• 03. "Summer Love"
• 05. "Crazy"
• 06. "Every Day & Every Night"
• 11. "The First Time"
• 13. "I'm Not Feeling You"

1998

Pras - Ghetto Supastar CD2

• 02. "Here We Go"

Video game appearances

• Funkmaster Flex lent his voice to the videogame, ESPN NFL 2K5 , he is also unlockable as a Free Agent fullback in the game.

External links

• Official website
• Funkmaster Flex at IMDb
• Funkmaster Flex at Discogs