Rap star Rich The Kid celebrates his new deal with hip-hop-leaning indie Rostrum Records, which nabbed Rich despite offers from several major contenders, with this lively trade shot. Seen just before label boss Benjy Grinberg rolled out the customary tray of whitefish and bialys are (l-r) label A&R hitter Jae Brown, Rich and Grinberg.

L.A.-based Rostrum, headed by biz veteran Grinberg, has been operating since 2003 and developed superstars Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa in the first stages of their careers—as well as an array of indie rap successes like DC The Don, 24hrs and Rockie Fresh.

Rich, as we noted previously, is a multiplatinum act and Best New Artist Grammy nominee. He dropped a joint project with YoungBoy Never Broke Again last year and most recently (via his own Rich Forever imprint), the Lucky 7 set, with features from DaBaby, Lil Mosey, Quavo, Takeoff, Flo Milli, Mulatto and more. He previously collaborated with such stars as Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Future, Lil Baby, Rod Wave, Khalid, Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Tjay, among others.

“I’m excited to work with Rostrum in this next chapter of life and music,” reads a quote from Rich. “This is a partnership that will be vital to showing artists that they can be independent and still win on a mainstream level. With the help of Benjy, Jae and the Rostrum team, we will take over the summer and everything after.”

How does a scrappy independent prevail in a contest for an act like RTK? Grinberg and team say their unique sales proposition is a combination of an “artist-first” ethos based on executing creators’ visions and highly strategic, nimble campaigns. Being an O.G. player in the rap underground probably doesn’t hurt either.