This is a guest post by Stephanie Nicole Jones
This past weekend, I was presented with the great opportunity and honor to sit down with a charismatic business man-with-a-plan, co-CEO of the independent hip hop label, Ever Ready Records, Alex “Apex” Stewart. Also founder and at the head of the label is Corey “Afinnity” Finn. These ambitious young indie hip hop execs have a well-established office in downtown Los Angeles, where I was able to chat with Apex and pick his brain about the label’s intelligent successes and how it all came to be….
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Stephanie: How was Ever Ready Records (ERR) established?
Apex: How Ever Ready started was out of my garage. It was me and my friend Corey together, co-CEO. We just wanted to make music together, we’ve been in bands and stuff together for years. So we decided we were gonna make a reggae group, where I would spit bars over it and we were doing it out of the studio at my garage, where we also used to kick it. Then I also had other friends that I’d been rapping with for years and we brought them in and people from the neighborhood that we didn’t know would (tell us) to chop it up with so-and-so…
I was going to SMC (Santa Monica College) one time and EJ (emcee Ezus Jesus) was spitting bars and there was a giant cypher around him, then, we brought EJ in. So we started off, not as a label, but just making music, but we were also putting out records so we decided we needed a name, so we can define ourselves. We chose the name “Ever Ready” and decided to call the label Ever Ready Records, because of us already putting out albums…
We then threw this really big event, and got in contact with Lush One, who put out a record with us (Every Ready label) and his records were the first to be really selling, selling, selling. That’s how we got to here today and have been doing this for about three years now.
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Stephanie: How did you come to this position as a CEO of ERR and what direction do you give to the everyone involved?
Apex: I (work as) a negotiator, I am the one who brings people in, in terms of business and records. I also help design the terms of the contracts. I bring in artists and people to do business with, I also over-see. Corey over-sees as well, but he is also more responsible for more of the aesthetics of everything.
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Stephanie: How has it been helpful to keep the label small? How do you decide on who to bring into ERR?
Apex: For awhile we had this idea where we wanted to expand a lot, because at first we weren’t thinking money, we didn’t know there was money, we were just kind of doing our thing. So we decided we wanted to expand and create our whole (own underground movement thing. But we recently realized its better to keep it tighter with fam and friends. And it’s not about how many units we’re selling but it’s about what we think of the art. So right now, we aren’t accepting “applications” lol.
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Stephanie: In what ways has the Internet been helpful for the biz? For either ERR as a whole or for individuals to take care of business?
Apex: We definitely have (specific) people who take care of our Social Networks and then we have our Web Designer. Corey (co-CEO) is the one who designs the whole aesthetic of the site, like what’s the text, where the logo is, where the header is, all that type of stuff. Lush helps us push the [ERR] name out a lot. We use “Grind Time” (on YouTube) to help generate traffic.
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Stephanie: Could speak a little bit about the networking happening outside of ERR and how you guys make an effort to keep connections?
Apex: We are friends with other labels, but we don’t work with other labels too much. Hellfyre (Hellfyre Club) and us will both have our eyes on the same artists sometimes, also with Machina Muerte (Records), who started off as a crew and expanded into a record label. So, we’ve done some business with them, they’ve done the digital distribution side and we’ve done the physical, such as created aesthetics, in terms of music videos and stuff like that.
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Stephanie: the quick successes of ERR are quite evident. What aspects of running ERR as a business accredits towards this success?
Apex: The thing is its a lot more responsibility than working a 9-5 because everything is fully on you. What you do can really screw other people over. The only person you’re answering to is yourself, so you have to be disciplined and responsible.
But, every department has someone in charge of it: merchandise, web, social media, videos…etc.
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Stephanie: What business moves does ERR hope to make in the next year or so?
Apex: I’d like to be in a bigger office than this, so we can have a little bit more people working with us and have places to put them. Also, I’d really like a good distribution deal that’s really getting the records out there. I’d like to just make a lot of music to put out there for people to relate to, to make music that speaks for people that haven’t yet had a voice. That’s why a lot of Ever Ready is from West LA–we bring out that culture that hasn’t really been brought out before.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4VJVMxDhoQ&feature=player_embedded#at=16
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The earnest desire to, “make a lot of music…for people to relate to…that speaks for people that haven’t yet had a voice,” is what admirably keeps this label independently successful. There are a lot labels who are established with the sole idea of making money and end up unsuccessful, with no support, and no money coming in. Why? Because from the very beginning, they are solely concerned with the cash, the units sold, and not the music itself. Any person as fond of hip hop as I am, as a listener and follower, will realize this reasoning for ERR’s success. Any music-obsessed follower can realize this as much as any music-maker (emcee, deejay, producer) who is equally as passionate about it can see this.
Take, for example, one of the up and coming crews affiliated with Ever Ready Records, Two Blunts and a Gent. With an original and inviting style already at the forefront of their recent, first-ever mixtape, The Carmix, Two Blunts has the brand-name and support of Ever Ready Records, which is given, without a doubt, to all the artists and talent behind-the-scenes with the label. The networking and support between everyone is what allows ERR to run as smoothly as they do and keep strong the ERR signature name and style.
Two Blunts, along with other super-talented and involved artists, The Alumni, and emcee Pistol McFly, among others of ERR such as Lush One (as Apex mentions above), of whom have the skillful abilities for musical production and networking knowing that when they need support, financially and musically, that ERR, Apex, and Corey, are behind them 100%. The teamwork and solid foundation of authentication and encouragement on both ends is of utmost importance and what works towards success.
Independent artists Two Blunts and a Gent, The Alumni, and Pistol McFly are all fresh new examples in the indie hip hop world of this indie hip hop label’s success. Most definitely will there be promising futures and a strong following while following this business path. Keep your eyes open and ears peeled if you haven’t already! Nonetheless, what attributes to success all around the table is the artists’ contributions to Ever Ready Records team, the label’s CEO’s disciplined sense in making business choices, and networking with the right people while staying true to the art of making music that has proved success for all.
http://www.everreadyrecords.com/
Stephanie Nicole Jones
hip hop enthusiast/writer
