Find out how Matt Llewellyn and Ismael Soto helped develop Stockton, California’s MBNEL and how they have adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic
As we churn through yet another confusing and misguided week of this Godforsaken COVID-19 quarantine, you can’t help but wonder when it’ll all be over? We’ve been at home for NOT weeks – BUT months, and if you’re like me you gotta find constructive ways to get through these times. There’s been SOME good things about the quarantine, but if you’re like us here at OC, you’ve had lots of time to get to know new artists and ground breaking talent that will likely be dropping dope shit for years to come. I guess it’s like Gene Wilder once told us as Willy Wonka, “So much time and so little to do.” It was just last week that XXL released their Freshman 2020 list and many people on the West Coast couldn’t help but feel slighted by the lack of talent from the “Left Coast.”
While all those gripes may be warranted, the land of Dre, Snoop, Pac, E-40, Mac Dre, Nipsey, Dom, Kendrick, TDE and all the others that have contributed to the West Coast, should know that the game is good hands. As much as things slowed down, it almost seems like the quarantine sped up the state of affairs on the West Coast and things are starting to take shape out here in the post-Nipsey world. Nothing will ever be the same without Nipsey and there’s an undeniable void in his absence, but there are a host of young, bright and talented acts that are on the rise and deserve recognition for carrying the torch for these West Coast streets.
One rapper who has been holding it down for the West Coast is Stockton, California based rapper MBNEL, pronounced, “MB Nel.” But when we look at productive rap entities, it’s always important to know who has been behind the movement and who helped craft the early parts of artists’ careers like MBNEL? How did they get buzzing? Take a look at our sit down with members of his management team and get to know one of Cali’s fastest rising talents. He’s definitely got a unique story to tell being Filipino, growing up where he did and how he did. He’s got legions of fans in Stockton, the Bay Area and Los Angeles that are buying up his merch like crazy and there’s no telling how far he can go at this point. Check out our sit down with MBNEL’s management team Matt Llewellyn and Ismael Soto and find out how this young Stockton talent found his way to our wavy speakers. Enjoy below in an Online Crates EXCLUSIVE!!!!:
OnlineCrates: First and foremost thanks for sitting down with me to discuss your career and the success of MBNEL thus far! Tell me about how you guys first found your love for music. What was the first song or album you purchased?
ISH: I grew up in a Mexican household in Boyle Heights, so my music taste can span from Rock Espanol to hip-hop, there is no in between. I like to point out that my music taste comes from my mom, she put me onto a lot of records from the 80’s like Joy Division. The first album I purchased on my own was Dom Kennedy’s “From the Westside With Love II.” This was back in 2011, I was in the 7th grade.
Matt: The first album I purchased was Warren G “G Funk Era…Regulate.” (laughs) And the first album I ever sat down and really listened to as a kid was Michael Jackson, Thriller. I was ten years old.
OnlineCrates: How do you say MBNEL’s name correctly – I’ve heard a few different interpretations lol
ISH: Everyone asks this question all the time (Laughs), its “MB Nel”
OnlineCrates: Ok so let’s just get right to the wildly rapid growth of MBNEL and how you guys met. What attracted you to his music and how did the friendship and business relationship grow?
ISH: I’ve always been a fan of MBNel’s music, he popped off in the Bay around 2018 when he dropped his Forever Mixtape. I caught wind of his music from a friend of mine that lives in Stockton and he showed me, “In My City.” The video at the time didn’t even have 100k views yet, but I kept a close eye and continued to support Nel’s music from a far. Then a year later when I was working at Interscope, MBNel DMed me through Instagram saying that he was looking for a manager and that I was recommended by mutual friends of ours. When I got that DM I knew the universe was telling me something, so I immediately called Matt and we got to work right away.”
Matt: What’s crazy about that story is that I sent Nel a DM in January 2018, around the time he had just finished his first record, “On Me” with $tupid Young. Nel never saw my DM though (until I told him to check his phone a year later at our first meeting). Seemed like it was meant to be. As for Nel’s music, I love his sound, it lives in the pocket of Polo G, Lil Tjay, JI, Lil Durk, Rod Wave…the only difference is Nel’s arguably a better lyricist than all of them.
OnlineCrates: What do you attribute to his rapid growth in his area and across the world?
Matt: I think Nel’s growth has been steady, but I wouldn’t say it’s been rapid. His rise in popularity is largely due to his consistency. He makes really good music and he’s authentic, I think the fans appreciate that. As for growth, I was fortunate enough to be able to connect Nel with several large platforms and networks, which helped with overall exposure. But overall, we continue to try and put out quality music and consistent content.
ISH: Yeah..in the last 9 months Nel’s fan base has doubled and his Youtube subscribers has tripled. All of this has to do with strategic planning and pushing the right content to his fans.
OnlineCrates: Is it tough pushing an artist from Stockton? It’s not exactly as poppin as LA but it’s got a real audience for Hip-Hop. What’s the town like up there?
ISH: I think the toughest part of pushing an artist from anywhere, whether it be a small city like Stockton, is the exclusivity of the artist. Nel is proud to be from Stockton and he wants to put Stockton on the map, but there are limitations to focusing on a small city too much. We often tell Nel “to expand outside of Stockton, think bigger” so he can see that he has fans all over the world, not just in his hometown. Put the city on your back and continue to grow.
Matt: That’s also why certain features are important for us. Nel has been working with artists from LA, Detroit, New York and Atlanta to get more eyes on his music. Stockton is definitely a blue-collar city with lots of poverty, high unemployment and crime.
OnlineCrates: What are the challenges and obstacles for you guys right now as far as making sure MBNEL reaches the top of the “mountain” so to speak?
Matt: The biggest challenge is getting the industry to believe in Nel the way we do. Every major label has hit us up, but you can tell that they’re still playing it safe and watching from the sidelines. We’re confident that we will get another major hit like “In My City,” which is currently at 8 million views on Youtube…and when we do the perception around him will change.
ISH: People like to put Nel in two boxes: one being that he is from Northern Cali, and two he’s an Asian in hip-hop…but NEL is much more than that. Another obstacle we face is that we’re doing everything independently, so getting interviews, features and other opportunities requires us to do it on our own and be resourceful.
OnlineCrates: So a little controversy that I wanted to address – MBNEL uses the word “nigga” in his music pretty regularly, how do you feel about that and what has he said regarding the word? Do you guys ever worry about his use of the word in today’s political climate?
Matt: As management, we are very sensitive to his use of that word and we are aware of the political and social climate. We have discussed the use of that word with Nel, but we also can’t censor him or his music. Nel is entitled to express himself as he chooses. As for Nel’s reasoning for using the word, you would have to ask him directly or watch one of his previous interviews. We don’t want to put words in his mouth.
OnlineCrates: What is the process like as far as preparing for a new album release with MBNEL? He has a ton of releases over the past 3 years (4) in 2018, (5) in 2019 and (2) in 2020. I know you guys stay busy and he keeps you on your toes….
ISH: Nel loves to record and instantly put out music because his fans are always asking about the next drop. Lately, we’ve been trying to cut that off so we can focus on quality control. We have a series of projects coming soon and it takes time to put the right records together; we’ve just put out an EP with 6 songs, we are about to put out another EP before the year and hopefully sn album by 1st quarter of 2021. A lot of music and content are on the way, we are just picking the best to put out.
OnlineCrates: How have you guys adapted to all the changes with COVID-19. Talk about how it changed things for you guys….
Matt: COVID has slowed everyone down, including us. Last year, Nel signed at Creative Arts Agency (CAA) with my friend and one of the best agents in the industry, Caroline Yim. We were scheduled to have a 2020 west coast tour and had 8 sold out shows. We were going to be in SF, LA, Phoenix, Seattle, Minnesota, Denver and New Mexico. We were also going to be at SXSW and Rolling Loud SF. Since there are no live shows, we’ve been trying our best to keep fans engaged with new music and content.
ISH: We’ve also managed to adapt through these times by making sure to put out as much content as we can, making an ecommerce site to manage more online merch sales, scheduling our music videos and releases accordingly and staying connected online with fans.
OnlineCrates: What are the things that you guys need to do as a business to continue to develop artists?
ISH: We’re currently looking to sign more acts under us and expand our venture to more working managers and A&Rs. The biggest thing we are working on is gathering a team of creatives (Videographers, Photographers, Digital Marketing, PR, Designers) to help create more content for the artists we work with. Art is as important as the business. With no flow of content and repurposing that content there is no cash flow.
Matt: At the end of the day, we want to develop a reputation for working with talented artists while also being solid, honest managers who are able to elevate the careers of our artists.
OnlineCrates: What’s next for MBNEL?
Matt: You can expect a lot of new music and some features with Fenix, 42 Dugg, Jay 305 and more. We also have some exciting collaborations and partnerships with brands, which we will announce soon. MBNel is positioned to have a big year in 2021, we’re excited for the future.
ISH: Be Ready.
