WEX! the Master is a Florida-born rapper who’s been making noise in the underground with his unique brand of jazz rap. Performing both as a rapper and a saxophonist, the combination of traditional hip hop sounds and live jazz instrumentation has made him stand out as a unique talent in today’s landscape. This February, he released his latest EP, FLAME PEN, in collaboration with producer 90culture.
Before speaking on the project, WEX described his sound as an artist. “I try to rap like a horn, man. I weave in and out of passages and break a lot of conventional rap rules while still making it make sense.”
He discussed the creative process behind FLAME PEN. “A lot of this project came from jam sessions with a band I was playing with. Eventually, I brought these recordings over to 90culture and he flipped these instrumental jam sessions into the beats you hear on the project.”
The new EP marks WEX’s first official release in over three years, with his last album having released in 2019. He spoke on his hiatus: “It definitely helped because I was able to gain some clarity to what I want to accomplish with my music. Not everything you finish needs to be for public consumption … My main inspiration behind the project was showing the world how good I’ve gotten during the last few years where I didn’t release a project. Each song represents a new style or cipher I’ve unlocked and this is the most efficient way to show it without spending too much time on an ‘album’.”
FLAME PEN is yet another collaboration with producer 90culture, who WEX has worked closely with ever since his debut album in 2018, LOVELUSTREGRET. He said: “Working with 90culture just clicks for me; he makes the shit I dig. We cook up a couple times a week, so it’s more like just hanging out with a friend and the creative process is just an effortless by-product of that.”
Although it’s only been a month since WEX dropped FLAME PEN, he already has new material in the vault. “I have three more FLAME PEN projects completed and will look to keep the ball rolling while I work on my next legit album.”
While WEX holds the mic for most of the EP, CEARC and BLK JOSH offer some standout guest appearances. WEX said: “I’m very particular about my features. I look for unique, original artists and that’s what CEARC is – he’s one of the best lyricists I’ve heard in a long time and he’s also just an enigmatic personality. BLK JOSH is my musical brother – we do gigs all the time and he’s my favourite singer so I’m privileged to have him in my camp.”
WEX touched on one of his favourite tracks from the project. “’WEX’s Prayer’ was a very intimate session and I didn’t write that one down. It was also one take, so definitely the most honest joint on the project. God was definitely in the room when we did that one.”
Outside of the FLAME PEN series, WEX has a number of projects on the way, including a full jazz album and, sometime in the future, a sequel to 2019’s MARVEL AT MY ABILITY VOL 2. He said: “I have so many projects completed, man. Right now, I’m looking to secure funding so I can do the concepts the justice they require … I have some stuff with some other producers, also a lot of live band stuff as well … The music is only gonna get better and more professional as time goes on.”
With countless projects in the works and collaborations underway, FLAME PEN is only the start of a new chapter in WEX! the Master’s career.
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