Famous When Dead Records label head CASH ONLY teamed up with rising West London rapper and vocalist VSTRV (Pronounced ASTRA) for ‘No Way,’ which its way into tastemaker long before its mid-May release.
This signature track showcases the bold artistry propelling the label toward becoming one of this year’s top independent forces. The song dives deep into Afro-inspired rhythms, taking on a resounding Melodic House persona with a succinct driving bassline, punctuated synths interplayed with uplifting piano riffs, and a standout vocal hook. The highly talented VSTRV is known for his raw, genre-blending style actively influenced by R&B, Hip-Hop, and UK-Afro vibes. His lyrics proudly push the song into a crossover single that’s destined to cycle throughout the summer.
We caught up with CASH ONLY to discuss his early beginnings, label life, and everything in between. Enjoy!
WWD: Can you tell us a bit about CASH ONLY?
I’m a DJ and Producer that explores music across the House Spectrum. I’m the label manager for Dvine Sounds (Sam Divines Iconic Music Imprint) and also recently set up my own label to support my own release schedule and other artists who I believe in.
WWD: You’ve been involved in music since 1996. Can you take us back to your teenage years in London – what was it about that world that pulled you into the world of DJing, and how have things changed?
I originally used to be into Heavy Metal and at one stage had my own band in my early teens, When i was 15 or 16 i first heard Jungle and UK Garage and became hooked buying those early tape packs inspired me to become a DJ and quickly bought my first set of Decks.
WWD: You’ve got a release out with VSTRV – can you tell us how that collaboration came about and what listeners can expect from the track?
When I got back into the studio just over 2 years ago I reached out to as many people as possible for vocalists who I could work with. A couple of people recommended VSTRV and we began working together remotely as I live in Manchester and he lives in London. We have about 3 or 4 tracks that we have written together and I’m excited to get the others out at some stage!
WWD: You’ve worked with a variety of vocalists like Alex Mills, Reigns, and Rahh – how do you match a voice to a vibe when producing a track?
I do a lot of writing camps where I throw a group of people together and collaborate on ideas. We don’t always know what will come out of the Studio but most of the time it sounds great! The artists I work with are all super professional and know exactly which piece of the jigsaw they need to slot in. I’ve been blessed to have had some pretty big names in the studio with me at such an early stage of getting back to music.
WWD: In 2025, you launched your label, Famous When Dead Records. What’s the story behind the name, and what inspired you to start the label?
In 2012 I bought a piece of Art from an abstract street artist called Famous When Dead entitled “Cash Only” and began to think it would be a cool name for a new alias that I wanted to start to make music that was more House based. The project was shelved for 10 years but when I kicked back on a few years ago I always thought Famous When Dead would also be a cool name for a record label and give me an opportunity to fuse Art and Music closer together. I also think the name is very relevant as it’s such a struggle sometimes for emerging artists to get somewhere in today’s music industry and we will probably all be famous when we are dead with the way things are chnaging.
WWD: As label manager for Dvine Sounds and now running your label, how do you balance the roles of artist and curator?
Running a record label is fun but also quite stressful at times making sure all the administration is done in the background. In fact my Studio at home resembles more of an office than a place to make music alot of the time!
WWD: You’ve played everywhere from Glastonbury to Pikes to Ministry of Sound. What’s been your most memorable set so far and why?
Last summer, on the August bank holiday, I played a festival in Amsterdam called Valtifest, which was the best show I’ve ever played. The mad thing was the festival was fancy dress – you literally can’t get in unless you dress up. I was in Las Vegas two days before and totally forgot, and the only thing I could get delivered in time was a Cinderella dress, so I went as a princess! Then, just when I thought the weekend couldn’t get any better, I flew in to play Reading Festival the next day for the Jägermeister crew – and that was just as good.
WWD: You took a long break from music for meaningful reasons – did that time away change your relationship with music when you returned?
Ive always loved music so ive always had a strong relationship with it, being an artist in 2025 after a 10 year break is definitely a different experience though. Theres so much more to think about now as with the evolution of social media more people are consuming music with their eyes rather than their ears.
WWD: What was the catalyst to return to music?
I always intended to go back to music when I retired in 2019 after selling a large company and made plans to move to Ibiza and sit in a villa with a set of decks and soundsystem and just rediscover everything I had missed, unfortunately Covid left that dream in tatters! In 2022 when I met the wife (Sam Divine) she encouraged and inspired me to not give up and to kick back on, the rest is history!
WWD: And now you’re back! What can we expect from CASH ONLY and Famous When Dead Records moving forward?
The past 12 months have been really big for me, I hit 1 Million streams at the weekend which was an important benchmark and ive got music scheduled all year. The next part of the process is getting the “Art” side of Famous When Dead pushed forward and we have lots of new T Shirts in the pipeline that will drop soon alongside my first event for the record label and concept.
Aside from that, my DJ Diary is also slammed with forthcoming dates at Glastonbury, Hi, Mambos, Reading Festival to name but a few big ones!
WWD: Incredible! Congrats and thanks for the chat 🙂
‘No Way’ is available here