Every label needs a founder with a vision, and Only Raw Records has Dre’Quan Priest. He came up dealing on Vice City’s streets like plenty of guys before him, but here’s the twist: for Dre’Quan, the hustling was never the point. It was just the funding round for the actual dream.

That dream? Music. Dre’Quan’s been chasing a way into the industry the whole time, and now he’s finally got one… he’s signed the rap duo Real Dimez to Only Raw Records, and he’s not shy about branding it either: “Only Raw… Records.” Say it with the swagger; it’s basically his whole personality in three words.

Climbing out of the strip club circuit: Right now, Dre’Quan’s still booking acts into Boobie Ike’s club, Jack of Hearts, but with Real Dimez signed and his sights set on the wider Vice City scene, those strip-club booking days might be numbered. He’s treating the dancers themselves as a kind of built-in focus group too: “Dancers are like my A&Rs. If the record’s a hit, DJs gonna be spinnin’ it.” Unconventional, sure. But if it works, it works.

The partnership: Dre’Quan runs Only Raw Records alongside Boobie Ike, with Boobie bringing the money and connections and Dre’Quan bringing the ear for talent and the creative direction. It’s Dre’Quan who tells new signees exactly where they stand, too: “You’re with the label now.” Short, blunt, and clearly a guy who likes making things official.

The bigger picture: Dre’Quan’s the rare Vice City character whose ambitions point away from crime rather than deeper into it. He wants a hit record, not a bigger score. Whether Real Dimez can actually deliver that hit is the whole bet he’s made, and GTA 6 looks set to let players watch it play out.

Sources: rockstargames.com/VI/only-in-leonida/drequan (official bio and character quotes, cited directly); GTA BOOM