VITUHMINS VIP: Will Repko
On this weeks edition of Vituhmins VIP, we got the chance to sit down and chat with Will Repko, AKA Repko, a multiplatinum producer who is credited with having worked with Trippie Redd, Juice WRLD, Lil Tecca, and many many more. In addition to his production-based endeavors, Repko has also recently launched a label with business partner Daniel Sturridge, the famous English soccer player.
Read our interview below:
Decker: “Thank you so much for hopping on a call and telling us your story.”
Repko: “Yeah of course bro, glad to to be here.”
Decker: “So, getting started, where are you from?
Repko: “I’m originally from Pennsylvania, in a place called Elizabethtown. Its in the middle of nowhere, near Hershey.
Decker: “Oh, very cool, I love Hershey. How did that location and environment influence your decision to become a producer?”
Repko: “Honestly, there was nothing else to do where I grew up. You either partied, played video games or played sports (I played soccer). Not a lot of people made music. There was only like 800 people in my High School, and it felt like being an outlier.
Decker: “I saw you mentioned videogames, did you play alot of video games growing up?
Repko: “Definitely, I loved playing GTA and Rocket League.”
Decker: “Thats very interesting to me because both are music-centric games. Do you think those had an influence on your taste?”
Repko: “absolutely. Plus, Fifa got me into alternative music. Nobody in my family really listened to alternative, so I feel like I got a lot of that from all of the Fifa games I played.
Decker: “With all this genre talk, which one did you start out in, and which would you say is your primary genre now?”
“Hip hop, then and now.
Decker: “And what have been some of your favorite projects within that realm?”
Repko: “‘Blast Off” with Juice and Trippie, “Outta Love” by Lil Tecca, and “How I Was Raised” with Trippie and Tecca.”
Decker: “Damn, those are some impressive credits. What was the moment where everything started to click and you knew this was the right path?”
Repko: “The moment was probably when meeting Nick Mira in high school, and signing to Internet Money with him soon after, that was my true start in the industry.”
Decker: “If you could work with any artist, who would it be?”
Repko: “Drake, gotta be. But I’m also very excited about people no one has heard of yet. Working with artists so early on that they’re not even considered “up-and-coming.” They have their circle and sound and I wanna be there to help develop it before that happens
Decker: “Who are your biggest inspirations?
Repko: “Pharrell and Rick Rueben. Not just because of their songs and styles but also their principals and how they approach music. I love their process and what they speak about.
Decker: What’s something you wish you could have told yourself in the beginning?
Repko: “I wish I could have told myself that it’s always about working with someone fresh and new. Find them early, fuck the numbers, and focus on what the music sound like and what can you add with your unique taste. How can you help them break the first milestones? Nowadays, I feel like a chameleon: its never really about me, I want to add to the artists I work with so I wanna bring out the best in them.
Decker: “What did you grow up listening to?”
Repko: “My dad loved rock, like Pink Floyd and Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. My mom loved pop and country. I actually like to ask musicians that when I get in the studio with them and sometimes you can really really tell right off the bat.”
Decker: “Whats next, what should we be focused on?”
Repko: “What I hope is next is embracing individuality rather than focusing on whats hot. I love what Drake did with “Honestly, Nevermind.” He made the music he would have wanted to hear on his euro-summer trip.
Decker: “What upcoming project are you most excited for?”
Repko: “Working with Philmon Lee. He’s got one of the most incredible voices I’ve ever heard.”
Decker: “And then tell me about your label that you’ve started?
Repko: “Embassy Music Group, I started it with my business partner Daniel Sturridge, who is actually a decorated English soccer player. I’m super excited about it.”
Will, thank you so much for talking with us! The entire Vituhmins team and I look forward to seeing your continued success, and really appreciate your taking the time to tell us your story.
