The 209: Romie Rome

Ian Hill / 209Vibe editorPosted May 8 at 05:25 PM

You never know where you’ll find the next big thing in music. Right now, a future pop superstar might be working as a barista or supermarket manager to make ends meet while waiting to be discovered.

The next big thing could even be hanging out with family and friends at a foothills gas station, listening intently for his song on the radio. That’s how Valley Springs rapper Romie Rome spent the five nights he competed in KWIN 97.7 FM’s “Unsigned at 9.”

During the contest, a KWIN DJ plays songs by two unsigned musicians, with fans voting for their favorite track. The winning song goes up against a track by another unsigned artist the following night.

Romie Rome, 21, recently became the first musician to be retired from the contest, meaning that his single “Do What It Do” topped its competition for five nights straight. The song has since been put into rotation on KWIN, a rare achievement for a local artist.

“I’m just so grateful for where I am right now,” said Romie Rome, born Jason Martinez. “For people in Stockton to be bumping a rapper from Valley Springs, it’s just cool.”

On each night of the competition Romie Rome, his family and friends gathered at a Valley Springs gas station where he used to work to listen to KWIN and learn if he had won the previous evening.

His toughest competition came on the fifth night, when “Do What It Do” faced off against “Sprung on a Thug” by La La, a Los Angeles singer with more than 100,000 MySpace friends. The track features rap superstar The Game.

Still, Romie Rome won handily.

The rapper said more than 70 supporters came to the gas station the night he was retired.

“It’s a small town,” he said. “When 70 people show up to hear your local boy is doing it, that’s a beautiful thing.”

KWIN program director Louie Diaz said “Do What It Do” received between 75 percent and 80 percent of the votes each night it competed in “Unsigned at 9.”

“It was different, it was hit radio-friendly and there’s an art to that,” Diaz said. Romie Rome “certainly has got potential to take it to the next level.”

“Do What It Do,” which also features Stockton rapper Izakane, is an emotional letter to a former lover set to a haunting keyboard progression. It started as a poem Romie Rome wrote while going through a break-up his junior year in high school.

Romie Rome noted that he’s been playing music since he was 9 years old, and that his grandfather and several of his relatives are musicians. His older brother introduced him to hip-hop, and he decided to become a rapper after hearing 2Pac.

He didn’t begin pursuing a musical career, however, until a friend suggested he talk with Izakane. The Stockton rapper’s support led to the recording of “Do What It Do.”

Despite his recent success, however, Romie Rome doesn’t want to rush into his career. He has no plans to emulate rappers who record multiple tracks in one studio session for quick release on a mixtape.

“I just want to take my time and do it right,” he said.