Flex (singer)
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Félix Danilo Gómez Bosquez (born August 29, 1980), known by his stage names Flex and Nigga, is a
Panamanian Panamanians (Spanish: ''Panameños'') are people identified with Panama, a transcontinental country in Central America (a region within North America) and South America, whose connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For m ...
reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...
singer and songwriter. He adopted the name '' Nigga'' after being told by another Panamanian artist that he "sings like a black guy from Jamaica." Before releasing an album in the United States in 2008, Flex removed references to his nickname in songs, and his CD packages were reprinted with the name "Flex."


Musical career


Early years

He began his musical career in 1997 with a song entitled "Como puedo cantar" in a duet with Toby King, which belonged to Pucho Bustamente's Da Crew album. But it was not until the year 2000 when he became known, appearing together with other artists on the album: Las Propias 2000 of the radio station Fabulosa Stereo and the producer Celia Torres. Being at that time where he recorded the song "Déjala" with Duende which managed to be placed in the rankings of countries such as:
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, Guatemala,
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. Then, without having finished the recording of that album, the producer asked him to record a song on the occasion of Mother's Day in Panama called "La balada de Nigga", although after the recording it was learned that his mother had died due to an expired medication in dialysis treatment. On that album a ballad version was recorded and then a reggae version on the album Deat Match where he would also record "Si tu me amaras". Later he recorded the song with the singer Catherine "Hasta cuando tendré que sufrir". Later he released an album with the title of Triple X that managed to break sales records in
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
. From this album comes the single "Si no te Tengo" also known as "En este mundo" that was playing on Ecuadorian radio for approximately 8 months. In 2003 he performed more than 40 concerts in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and shared the stage with Tranzas, Ecualizate, Los Subversivos, among others. In that same year he was in a musical group called Rocky Yes that was made up of Panamanian singers: El Friend, Duende and El Aspirante, with which he managed to record 25 songs including "Amigo", "Tienes que olvidarla", "Déjala" and "Vivir sin ti."


Consecration

In 2007 he released his first solo album called '' Te Quiero: Romantic Style in da World'' which received a review of two and a half stars out of a total of five by the
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
web portal. The album was certified double platinum by AMPROFON in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. The first single from this record material called " Te Quiero" reached #1 on Hot Latin Songs and #86 on
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...
, both ''Billboard'' charts. With all this achieved, the Panamanian performed duets with
Juan Luis Guerra Juan Luis Guerra Seijas (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican musician, singer, composer, and record producer. He has sold 30 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Throughout his career, he has wo ...
,
Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, and actor. Known as the " King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined ...
,
Wisin & Yandel Wisin & Yandel is a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in the late 1990s and have been together since, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the onl ...
, Sean Kingston and Rihanna. On November 13, 2008, he won his first
Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...
with the song "Te Quiero" in the category of Best Urban Song. In addition to this, he managed to win the prize in the National America category of the 40 Principal Awards of Spain as Best Artist of Panama. He also participated in the television program ''El Show de los Sueños'' of
Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
in its second season, where he won second place, however he was eliminated in the next stage which was called ''Los Reyes del Show''. In that same year he had a brief foray into acting by having a special participation in the television series ''Central de abastos'' and the song "Te Quiero" served as the soundtrack. In 2009 he released his second album entitled '' La Evolución Romantic Style'' with the promotion of the singles "Dime si te vas con él", "Te Dejaré" and "Te amo tanto" that had a special edition. The album charted at #1 on
Latin Rhythm Albums Latin Rhythm Albums is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Like all ''Billboard'' album charts, the chart is based on sales, which are compiled by Nielsen SoundScan based on sales data from merchants representing more than 90  ...
and #3 on
Top Latin Albums Top Latin Albums is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine and is labeled as the most important music chart for Spanish language, full-length albums in the American music market. Like all ''Billboard'' album charts, the chart is based ...
. During that year he won 8 of 13 nominations at the Billboard Music Awards, surpassing great artists such as Enrique Iglesias, Maná and
Luis Fonsi Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for multiple songs, one of them being " Despacito" featuring rapper Daddy Yankee. Fonsi received his first ...
.


Decadence and discographic blockade

In 2010 he released the third album of the Romantic Style series called '' Romantic Style Parte 3: Desde La Esencia'' which debuted at #25 on the Top Latin Albums, becoming his lowest debut on the US charts. Unidos compared to their previous albums. In 2012 he released his fourth studio album called "Vives en mi" through
Emi Latin Capitol Latin (formerly EMI Latin) is a brand of Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group. Previously, it was a subsidiary of EMI. History In 1989, José Behar, the former head of CBS Discos, signed Selena to ...
. This album was not as successful as his previous albums, as it was blocked by
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
, which had been the subsidiary of
EMI Televisa Music EMI Televisa Music or Televisa EMI Music was a record label established in 2005 as a partnership between EMI Latin and Televisa. It focused on Latin American music. The joint venture between the two ended in 2009. Artists signed to this label * ...
and was the previous Flex discography. In addition, this was his last album distributed in Mexico, due to its record block. Shortly after being blocked by said discography, he returned to Panama with the aim of enhancing his musical career. In that year he collaborated with the Puerto Rican duo Alexis & Fido on the single "Contéstame el teléfono" which was nominated for the
Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro ( Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began i ...
in the category of Best Urban Song, although it would not ultimately win.


Later Years

In 2013, he was the winner of the talent show Tu cara me suena in his first season in Panama. Since then, she continued to collaborate with other singers, among her, the most relevant was "No te pedí de más" with
Makano Hernán Enrique Jiménez Pino (born May 7, 1983), is a Panamanian singer better known by his stage name Makano. At the age of 12, Jiménez was part of a reggaeton group called "Los Makanos". The members of the group made a promise that the firs ...
. In 2015 he released his sixth studio album called ''Seduction'' under the distribution of Sony Music. The album was moderately successful as it peaked at #2 on Billboard's Latin Rhythm Albums chart for two consecutive weeks. From that album came the single "Nadie como tú", which was ranked #20 on the
Latin Pop Airplay Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established ...
. In that year he made a relevant collaboration on the single "Disfruta la vida" with the Spanish singer Antonio Barullo and the Puerto Rican rapper J Álvarez, which earned him another nomination for the 2017 Lo Nuestro Award in the category of Collaboration of the Year - Urban, but again without winning. In 2018, he made his musical return to Mexico after being blocked by his old discography, premiering the single "Cerquita de mi" with Mexican singer
Ricky Rick Ricardo Ruiz Pérez, better known as Ricky Rick, is a Mexican singer, rapper and former vocalist for the band A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia All Starz. He has a successful career with Kumbia All Starz, performing songs such as "Mami" "Rica y ...
. In 2019 he resumed his musical career as an independent artist with the single "Me enamore de ti". In the years to come, he released several singles, which did not achieve the same success as when he was at the height of his musical career. However, on May 14, 2021, he released his sixth studio album on all digital platforms called ''Delirio'' with a total of 12 songs and without any collaboration.


Disputes

The artistic name that Félix adopted sparked controversy and was harshly criticized in the United States, as "Nigga" is an adjective that can be used pejoratively and derogatorily in another form. At the end of 2007, at the advice of his manager and to end the controversy, he changes his name from "Nigga" to "Flex" in order to be accepted in the Anglo-Saxon community. The parts where they mentioned their old name were edited and reprinted on their CD packaging in the North American country. On March 10, 2021, there was an altercation with the Puerto Rican rapper Darell, who released a video on his social networks asking the Panamanian producer
El Chombo Rodney Sebastian Clark Donalds (born November 27, 1969), better known by his stage name El Chombo,In Panama, ''Chombo'' refers to a black person but is generally a derogatory term. is a Panamanian reggaeton artist and producer. He is best known f ...
to revive Flex, who was well dead in the music scene. That testimony caused inconvenience in the fans of Flex and in the entire public of Panama, who responded to Darell and even wrote to him on his personal Instagram account that he could not speak ill of a singer who had won eight Billboard awards of the Latin music and a Latin Grammy, nor should he speak ill of the Romantic Stye or the music of Panama and that he was only known in Panama for his participation in the single "Otro trago" by Sech, precisely who is also Panamanian.


Awards and accomplishments

Flex has received nominations for a variety of awards shows including Premios Billboard, Premios lo Nuestro, Latin Grammys, Premios Juventud, Premios Oye, and Premios Monitor Latino. Flex has won an Oye award, a Latin Grammy, and eight Billboard Latin Music awards. His accomplishments include a number one position in Mexican and American radio for over 20 weeks, as well as Gold and Platinum album sales worldwide.


Personal life

After five years of dating, Flex married his long-time girlfriend Osiris Vega on August 26, 2008, and got divorced in 2011. Flex continues to live in Panama.


Discography

;Studio albums *2007: '' Te Quiero: Romantic Style in da World'' *2009: '' La Evolución Romantic Style'' *2010: '' Romantic Style Parte 3: Desde La Esencia'' *2012: '' Vives En Mí'' *2015: ''
Seduction Seduction has multiple meanings. Platonically, it can mean "to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty", or "to lead astray, usually by persuasion or false promises". Strategies of seduction include conversation and sexual scripts, paralingual ...
'' ;EPs *2009: '' AOL Dejando Huellas'' ;Compilation albums *2011: '' A Todo Romantic Style''


Accolades


Billboard Latin Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards grew out of the ''Billboard'' Music Awards program from ''Billboard'' magazine, an industry publication charting the sales and radio airplay success of musical recordings. The ''Billboard'' awards are the La ...

, - !scope="row" rowspan="13", 2009 , rowspan="7", " Te Quiero" , Hot Latin Song of the Year , , - , Hot Latin Song of the Year, Male , , - , Hot Latin Song of the Year, New , , - , Latin Pop Airplay Song of the Year , , - , Tropical Airplay Song of the Year, Male , , - , Latin Rhythm Airplay Song of the Year, Solo , , - , Latin Ringmaster of the Year , , - , rowspan="2", Himself , Hot Latin Song Artist of the Year, Male , , - , Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year , , - , rowspan="4", '' Te Quiero: Romantic Style In Da World'' , Latin Album of the Year , , - , Top Latin Album of the Year, Male , , - , Top Latin Album of the Year, New , , - , Latin Rhythm Album of the Year, Solo ,


Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

, - !scope="row" rowspan="2",
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, '' Te Quiero: Romantic Style In Da World'' , Best Urban Music Album , , - , " Te Quiero" , Best Urban Song ,


Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro ( Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began i ...

, - !scope="row" rowspan="3", 2009 , '' Te Quiero: Romantic Style In Da World'' , Urban Album of the Year , , - , Himself , Urban Artist of the Year , , - , " Te Quiero" , Urban Song of the Year , , - !scope="row" rowspan="3", 2010 , '' La Evolución Romantic Style'' , Urban Album of the Year , , - , Himself , Urban Artist of the Year , , - , " Dime Si Te Vas Con Él" , Urban Song of the Year , , - !scope="row", 2017 , "Disfruta La Vida"
Joint nomination with Antonio Barullo and J Álvarez , Urban Collaboration of the Year ,


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flex 1980 births Living people 21st-century Panamanian male singers 21st-century Panamanian singers People from Panama City People from Chitré Panamanian reggaeton musicians Panamanian songwriters Latin Grammy Award winners EMI Televisa Music artists Latin music songwriters