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some type of way

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Hey! It’s always fun to see everyone’s Spotify Wrapped. It’s a smart product that gets better each year. I know other streaming services have their own versions, but copying Wrapped won’t match its buzz. It’s better to put a unique spin on it like the Instafest “music festival lineup” app, which was made by a 20-year-old USC student! There are plenty of ways to innovate on this concept.

Today’s memo is about the transition from record label to independent artist life. On this week’s podcast I talked to Rich Homie Quan about leaving the major record labels, starting Rich Homie Entertainment, partnering with Venice Music, and more. You can listen here on the Trapital Podcast and read the highlights below.

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from records labels to independence

Rich Homie Quan came out the gates hot:

– a smash hit with 2013’s “Type of Way”

– 2014 XXL Freshman Class (one of the stronger years it has had)

– a post-Rose Bowl locker room celebration with the Michigan State Spartans

– sang the chorus on “Lifestyle” (one of the best songs of the decade)

He blew up like an NFL rookie QB that caught the defense off guard. Quan was right there with Future and Young Thug as the next ones up in Atlanta.

But shortly after his biggest hit, 2015’s “Flex,” he got in an ongoing legal dispute with his former record label that saddled him from releasing new music, shook his confidence, and stalled his momentum.

The setback paved the way for Quan’s comeback. He’s now run his independently-owned Rich Homie Entertainment record label. We talked about the transition from Think It’s a Game, Motown, to being on his own.

That partner is Venice Music, Troy Carter and Suzy Ryoo’s company that distributes his music and will work with him on his multimedia goals and web3 projects.

Quan wants to embrace the CEO role. He wants to be hands-on with budgets, sit at the table, and call more shots. Many artists who have followed his path ended up making more money from the lesser-known hits that they released independently. For artists in his position, it may be harder for their music to chart as high, and they may not get the same looks, but if money is higher on their priority list, then this path may be more aligned with their bigger goals.

re-centering his career

Rich Homie’s new EP, Family & Mula, is his first project since 2019. In that span, he had lost his love for hip-hop but started listening to the new music coming out and felt like he was better than these new rappers. It took a global pandemic, a lot of praying, and motivation to get back in the booth.

To force himself back in the game, Quan stayed in his studio for two straight years and avoided listening to the radio. It took six months of recording new music to feel confident to share with his inner circle. The process changed how he now approaches music.

Careers aren’t linear, especially in music. But the microwave success era has led people to believe that an artist is “falling off” if they haven’t released new music in nine months. Success is rarely as reductive or binary as some fans believe.

“top 3 and I’m not 3”

The ad-libs in “Type of Way” are still so memorable. Singing and rapping over trap beats soon became the mainstream sound we heard time and time again in bigger hits from other artists, like Travis Scott’s “Antidote.” Quan doesn’t feel like he gets enough credit for his influence.

I asked him to name his Top 5 Atlanta rappers. He says his current list (not all time) is Future, Thug, Lil’ Baby, 21 Savage, and himself. My list looks different, but I understand the mentality.

It’s like asking an above-average NFL QB who the best players are at the position. No one wants their leader to say, “Yea I’m good but not as great as Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen.” If your favorite artist doesn’t have a little too much dip on their chip, then they’re just good at hiding it.

Listen to our full conversation here:

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​https://trapital.co/2022/12/01/rich-homie-quan-the-artist-vs-rich-homie-quan-the-ceo/​

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