Culture Shifters
By Bri Renee
Explain who you are to me as if I were a complete stranger.
Well… My name is Romell Weaver. I was born and raised in Wisconsin. I’m a Leo and I love music. I love working with my hands. I am classically trained on the piano.
Are you an artist (rapper, singer, etc.) as well as CEO?
I’m a rapper and CEO of Kr8vn8vs Records.
What made you decide to assemble a label/coalition?
At first, it was for me, to cut the “red tape” for festival entries and things like that. It was like ‘I’m gonna start an official label so now y’all gotta open up for me and let me perform’. Some of the homies saw what I was doing with my own stuff and asked me to help them out. Before this, I was signed to Little Heart Records and then Brian Perkins passed and that was kind of the end of that. So instead of trying to go sign with someone else, I made my own. I took what I learned from that contract I had and made it my own to give to my artists. We are a small outfit but a nice DIY label.
That seems like a big task to take on. What are some of the challenges?
I’m working on getting our IIAA Certification so that way we can be recognized as a label nationwide. I’m expanding. TV and Film licensing deals. Basically tying up loose ends so that we can get these guys on tour in 2021. 2020 put a stop to everything and has given me time to fall back and get shit together.
How would you deal with current artist/ team members feeling entitled like you should do everything for them or like you need to coddle them?
I just kind of shoot it to them straight. I ain’t the beat around the bush type. We all adults, this is business, so please don’t take it personally, but this ain’t gonna work like that. We can talk about it and come to a middle ground, but that, you ain’t gonna get. I’m always straight up about it but for the most part, my guys ain’t never really got outrageous with that. I picked my artists on an almost 50/50 scale of character [and talent]. Character has to be developed. You’re 25, 29, 30, 34, so the character-building side has started to slow down, so that character needs to be there for the most part.
How would you deal with a current artist/team member feeling like they know the game better than you and challenging your ideas?
Honestly, I’d let them roll with their idea firs and then help them recover. I feel like my job is more guidance. If you don’t wanna listen to my guidance then that means YOU lose, know what I’m saying? You lose. So, yeah, I’m not really forceful with what they do. I’m more of a ‘you can do what you want to, you just have to understand the consequences and you’re gonna have to suffer them motherfuckers. I don’t ever tell somebody what they can and can’t do, but I always compromise and come to a middle ground. For the most part, there is no creative restriction on my artists. If they make some trash, I’ll let them know.
Tell me about a few of your artist/team members.
I got a nice small, diverse team of artists and a team of admin. My wife is half owner. She helps me keep my thoughts and dreams in perspective, She’s my favorite co-pilot. Church Friends is my alternative group. They make some of the dopest music. When I stepped to Church Friends, they were like ‘nah. We know who you are’, shit got real for me when they signed. They’re my strongest suit right now, even outside of myself. We got R and B with Rob Lee and Fiji Waters, We got rap with Pronoun and TrapKingKai. We got Methwun, Ralph Blacc Q-Mystik, WIP, Slugga, DJ DS, and Who Got The Rent Money. We family.
What makes your label/organization different from similar indie labels/ organizations
The creative diversity and the family atmosphere. For the most part, there’s no creative restriction on my artists. If they make some trash, I’ll let them know.
Who are your favorite 5 indie artist not a part of your label?
Damn. Yonz… Damn you said not a part of my label. I signed all my favorites! So, Yonz, I like Bro God Suzuki and D-Twist and all those guys. They’re dope. I love their energy. My brother Big Rob the Lyrical God in Wisconsin. I like Russ a lot, he’s indie again.
What’s next for your label/organization? What are some realistic and maybe not so realistic goals you all would like to hit?
Y’all bout to see. Any goal we set is realistic. As long as we work at it. My main thing right now is getting one of my artists on the chart. You ask me this same question in three years it’ll be a whole different answer. Now, let’s just get them on the chart.