Passion to Profit

Profound, yet buoyantly energetic, Armani White wants to trademark happy hood music. Pairing dexterous flows with dense introspection and spurts of impassioned melodies, the 26-year-old delivers a colorful, but poignant soundtrack for survivors. Before he crafted a viral single, Armani soaked up the sounds of Ludacris, State Property and Eminem. “It was the soundtrack of our lives,” he recalls. Before too long, he pantomimed the art of the MC, spitting lyrics from his favorite rappers when he played outside with friends. Growing up in a troubled home, he found healing in beats and bars. “I like being happy. I like being energized and I like positive spirits, so music became therapy,” he says. By 2019, he’d consummated his reinvigorated journey to rap stardom with Keep in Touch, a project that reaffirmed his all-around songwriting abilities. It was preceded by the release of "Onederful,” a melodic single that contextualizes Armani’s journey for an uplifting anthem. That same year, he was touring with the likes of Vince Staples, earning new fans with each stop. He eventually hit the stage for dates with Nas, James Blake and Aminé, too. Last fall, he continued to elevate with Things We Lost In The Fire, a heartfelt EP that addressed personal tragedy with unflinching transparency. In mid-2022, Armani parlayed the momentum of the EP and “Billie Eilish” into a deal with Def Jam Records. Looking ahead, Armani plans to collect platinum plaques while being an inspiration for listeners from circumstances like his own. “I want people to feel safe in being that anomaly,” he says. “You can carve your own way, wherever you are and you can fully be who you want to be.” Of course, that message is a thematic throughline of Armani’s music, songs borne from an instinct for storytelling, a reflex derived from a life of turmoil and the resolve to grow from it. “The reason why I call my songs happy hood music is because I went through a lot of trauma and pain,” he says, “And I take that dark, murky color, throw it at the wall and watch a rainbow come out.”

William Tyrone Toms is a dreamer turned visionary. What’s the difference? A dreamer sees visions in their mind while they sleep and daydream. A visionary pulls those visions out of their mind and builds them in the real world to be experienced by others.

Will’s visionary leadership has enabled him to lead his organization from humble beginnings in a warehouse in North Philadelphia, to an 8-figure, multi-city company serving thousands of creatives as well as some of the world’s leading brands. To date, REC Philly, an innovative creative agency and membership club model dedicated to empowering creative people to do more of what they love, has paid out over $2 million dollars to creatives in the Philadelphia region alone. This work with REC and Will’s consistent service to his community earned Will a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in the Social Impact category in 2021. 

In 2022, REC announced its partnership with Sean ‘P.Diddy’ Combs and Combs Capital to expand REC to more cities nationally, starting with REC Miami in 2023.

Before REC, Will worked at a marketing agency where he worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry and learned what it takes to create & grow a world class brand.

Growing up he was always interested in understanding how people who looked like him could make money on their own terms and get paid to be themselves.

That’s why REC is on a mission to empower 10,000,000 creators worldwide with the resources, strategies and opportunities to turn their passion into dollars.