Local rapper Conner ‘Witty’ Witbeck signs with California record label
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IDAHO FALLS — Since he was 10, Conner Witbeck has gone by “Witty,” since there were too many “Conners” on his little league baseball team. Now “ThekidWitty” is emerging in the music industry, as he’s just signed with his first California record label, the Chase Green Music Group (CGMG) and Premier Artist Management.
“I feel like I surround myself with very good people. I wouldn’t have signed to this label if I didn’t believe in Chase, if I didn’t believe in myself, if I didn’t believe in the artists that I’m signing with,” Witbeck says.
Since finding his voice, the Ucon native has been able to create more on his own and with other independent artists. While working on a collaboration in California during a recording session at Empire Digital Recording Company, Witbeck got his big break.
“The CEO and chief engineer announced to me that he (liked) the way I sounded and could see something different about me. … I was then offered the opportunity to come join the label as a recording artist and without hesitation, I accepted his generous offer!” Witbeck says in his Aug. 31 Facebook post.
The 20-year-old says he’s wanted to be a recording artist since he was in sixth grade. He used to record songs onto his mom’s first-generation iPad with music from YouTube playing in the background.
“I used to record in voice memos,” Witbeck says. “It took me a lot to actually release something for people to listen to. I think, for the most part, music has always been my outlet for everything.”
He says his first album ever released, called “The First Day,” was trash.
“That album was garbage. I hated it,” Witbeck says. “That was very experimental, trying to find my voice.”
But from there he’s grown, going on to create more albums like “Judy’s Kitchen,” inspired by a hard time in Witbeck’s life while he was living with a close friend and his friend’s mom, Judy. Then there’s “Naked Truth,” the 2017 album he used to silence his haters.
“When I was coming up I copied Eminem, I copied Jay-Z, I copied Royce D 5′ 9″, I copied those artists. Now it’s where I’m not copying them anymore. I found my own sound. I found my own rhyme scheme. I feel very diverse,” Witbeck says. “I hate comparing myself to other artists, but at the end of the day, you’re learning.”
On a warmer note, he released his album, “Summer Daze,” which he says is the ultimate summer anthem to play with your windows rolled down. His famous “Dutch Bros” song is on that album.
“That’s the album that has the Dutch Bros song that everyone knows me for, (which) plays in every Dutch Bros location in the U.S., which is really cool,” Witbeck says.
Witbeck says CGMG Records supports developing artists while giving them real-world exposure to the biggest names in the industry and protecting them from the pitfalls that come with signing deals with larger labels.
“They’re putting me in the situation and position and giving me tools to succeed. They’re relying on me to use those tools,” Witbeck says. “Chase has taken me under and given me a really good deal for my current situation.”
For now, Witbeck is traveling back and forth to California working on major projects with artists like Crooked I, a veteran rapper associated with Slaughterhouse, Eminem, and Horseshoe G.A.N.G.
Witbeck’s family has been supportive of his work and is excited about his new journey.
“Very proud and hope the best for him! It was an honor that he asked me to be with him when he signed his contract in California! He has so much dedication and desire to succeed that great things are in store for him,” Witbeck’s mother, Arlene “Mama Witty” Witbeck says.
“I’m proud to call Witty my cousin! He’s always been a talented kid! He is an artist on so many levels! Go get um, Witty!,” Witty’s cousin Candice Preston says.
Witty has a lot of layers that make him a dynamic artist. He says he can handle any beat and rap on it, and his rhyme schemes are inspired by the best in his industry. Overall, he’s an artist who knows where he’s been and is looking forward to the future.
“My biggest thing is I always say is this is bigger than us. This is bigger than me,” Witty says.” I’ve sacrificed so much. I never partied in high school. I’ve always just stayed making music I’ve lost a lot of friends because I didn’t want to go out and have fun with them. I wanted to work on music.”