"Rich Flex" is a song by Canadian rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

and

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-based rapper

21 Savage Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...

. It was released on November 4, 2022, as the opening track from their collaborative studio album '' Her Loss''. The song interpolates " Savage" (2020) by Megan Thee Stallion, " 24's" (2003) by T.I., and " Red Opps" (2016) by

, as well as sampling "I Want You, Girl" (1973) by Sugar and " Nora's Transformation" (1973) by

Charles Bernstein Charles Bernstein may refer to: * Charles Bernstein (composer) (born 1943), American composer of film and television scores * Charles Bernstein (poet) Charles Bernstein (born April 4, 1950) is an American poet, essayist, editor, and literary sc ...

. The song spent its first three weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number two (tying "

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" as 21 Savage's highest-charting song as a lead artist), blocked from reaching the top spot by

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

's "

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" and peaked at number one on the Canadian Hot 100 chart where it became Drake's eleventh number one single.

Background

On November 3, 2022, the song was announced as part of the tracklist reveal for ''Her Loss''. Shortly after release, the track garnered attention and went viral due to the chorus's lyrical content. The track in particular was widely picked out since it features an interpolation of Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage", including writing credits, while another song on the album titled "Circo Loco" sparked controversy as Drake allegedly accused Stallion of lying about the 2020 shooting incident, involving her and rapper

Tory Lanez Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson (born July 27, 1992), known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and convicted felon. He received initial recognition from the mixtape ''Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story'', rel ...

. However,

Lil Yachty Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Boat, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" (featuring ...

, who contributed to numerous tracks on ''Her Loss'', confirmed on behalf of Drake that the lyric was in fact about

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who lie about getting butt injections (hence the words 'shot' and 'stallion', which is slang for a woman with large buttocks).

Composition

Serving as the "tough, bass-driven" opener for the album, "Rich Flex" sees the two rappers "going back and forth" after a spoken intro performed by rapper

Young Nudy Quantavious Tavario Thomas (born December 17, 1992), known professionally as Young Nudy, is an American rapper. Thomas is best known for his mixtapes ''Slimeball'' (2016), ''Slimeball 2'' (2017), and '' Slimeball 3'' (2018), and his collaborativ ...

. The track starts out with Drake repeatedly asking Savage to do him a favor over a "typically spare Tay Keith beat", while the latter "raps about strip club exploits at Magic City and pistol-whipping an enemy", occasionally imitating the flow of Stallion's "Savage". Similar to their previous collaboration on " Jimmy Cooks", the song makes use of a beat switch over halfway through the track, with Drake riding "a crashing piano beat". The song was seen as a return to "rap-mode" for Drake after having ventured into house music with ''

Honestly, Nevermind ''Honestly, Nevermind'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, which was surprise-released on June 17, 2022, through OVO Sound and Republic Records. The album includes a sole guest feature from 21 Savage, and product ...

'' (2022).

Critical reception

21 Savage in particular was praised for his appearance on the song. In a track review for the song, Matthew Ritchie at ''

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'' opined that the presence of Savage "makes Drake confront the idea of his own rap mortality" and lets him realize that he cannot "coast on vibe alone" when met with "real skill" alongside his appearance. ''

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''s Mosi Reeves pointed out the track for letting the album start out "promisingly", stating that it serves as a "decent introduction that allows 1 Savageto skate around impropriety". Marcus Shorter of ''

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'' noted that, by taking turns, the rappers "mirror each other's cadences and rhyme patterns while attacking the same subject matter from slightly different angles".

Charts

Certifications

References

{{21 Savage 2022 songs 21 Savage songs Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles Billboard Global 200 number-one singles Drake (musician) songs Song recordings produced by Tay Keith Songs written by 21 Savage Songs written by Drake (musician) Songs written by Tay Keith Songs written by Vinylz Song recordings produced by Vinylz