Its hard to stand out in a city full of stars.
But instead of being intimidated by all the hype
surrounding the Windy Citys overnight
celebrities, Romey is confident hes got what it
takes to shine with the best of them. Like his
platinum Chi-town counterparts Kanye West, Twista
and Common, 23 year-old rapper Romey is destined
to join his citys rap elite.
Im that voice for the hustlers, explains the
67 rhyme pusher who
hails from Chi-Citys notorious Southside section.
Theres a whole bunch of different styles in
Chicago that cater to all types of people. Like
Kanye, he speaks to the average person, thugs,
backpackers, the ladies and we love and embrace
him for that. Common speaks for the conscious
listeners. Then theres a new generation of
rappers like Bump J, Sly Polaroid and myself that
speak to the streets. Were all different, but
its all Chicago. We all get that love.
With his whole city behind him, the young MC is
ready to make the leap from a regional success to
a nationwide contender. Hes aligned himself with
some of the countrys most influential mixtape and
radio DJs, who have been spreading his words like
the gospel. There couldnt be a better time for
the self titled Michael Jordan of the rap game
to redirect rap back to a time when lyrics
outweighed hooks and rappers focused on the power
of their words rather than their material value.
Born and raised in the gang-infested neighborhood
known as the Wild
Hundreds, Romey grew up turning the negative
images around him into
moving street narratives. As a kid it was nearly
impossible for him to escape the evil trappings of
his hood. Because of where Im from, Im gang
affiliated, he explains. Everybody around me was
in a gang so I really didnt have a choice.
Romeys life at home wasnt very different than
what he saw outside. His mother was a well known
hustler in and around their Roseland neighborhood
for 20 yearsa trade she had no problem teaching
her oldest son. I used to steal drugs from her
and sell em, remembers Romey. At 11 I was
making like $200 or $300 dollars a day.
But before he finished junior high, Romeys mom
was sentenced to four years in prison. I went
from having everything right along with my mother
to her going to prison.
In 1994 Romey and his two younger sisters were
sent to Memphis to live with their Aunt. After six
months, Romey moved again, this time he went to
live with his father in Milwaukee. There he
attended high school and continued to do his share
of dirt while his mom sat in jail. It wasnt until
a friend at school introduced him to Jay-Zs
Reasonable Doubt that Romey found a way out of his
trife life.
I seen how powerful Jay was with his flow and
how he effected the way that I looked at hustling
and all the stuff I was going through, he
remembers before making the jump from the street
to the booth. Thats what ultimately made me
wanna get into rap.
For the first time, Romey started questioning his
morality on records, a skill that gives him
advantage today. On one of his latest mixtape
gems, All Has Changed Romey raps, As I look in
the mirror Im shaking my head/ Cause Im knowing
Im foul, how Im making my bread. He goes on to
reflect on his not-so-happy upbringing by breaking
down the three lowest points of his life on I
Dont Have Nothin. Romey also proves he can talk
about more than his stormy past on the soulful
Bobby Womack sampled P&Qs where he pops a bevy
of clever analogies like: Im like Ron Artest
with a O Z/Cause all the other ballers know Im
known for the most D.
Romey has aligned himself with Chicagos top
mixtape suppliers, DJ Pharris DJ V Dub who have
been continuously leaking his records directly to
the street. Outside of the Midwest, rap fiends
have recently gotten a huge dose of Romey thanks
to his DJ Sickamore hosted CD/DVD, The Chicago
Takeover. Backed by the same mixtape DJ turned A&R
that helped polish and present underground MCs
Saigon and Tru-Life to the masses, Sickamores
stamp is a huge feat for rapper outside of New
York City. When I met Sickamore, he sat and
listened to like 10 of my joints straight,
recalls Romey. He was just like, Yo, youre
crazy, you sound incredible! I wanna work with
you.
With some of the industrys top taste makers
cosigning, Romey is ready to spread his word like
the gospel. And unlike most rap rookies that have
their sites set of merely catching the next
short-lived buzz single, Romey is focused on the
qualities only the greatest MCs posses. His knack
for recreating his own hard knock life on record
makes him a rarity in an era littered with hip-pop
acts whose catchy hooks are their biggest claim to
fame.
It wont be long before Romey solidifies his place
in Chicagos already illustrious lineup, proving
his voice is exactly what the games been missing.
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