One of our favourite newcomers wants to transition to the big league – but says record labels don’t know what to do with him.

Atlanta rapper and man of good taste Rome Fortune can’t get a deal – but not because the labels aren’t knocking on his door.

“I’ve met with everyone from Epic Records to OWSLA to Interscope this past year and half. The focal point of most meetings always revolves around what my sound or style is. In turn, my response is immediately “authenticity”,’ he says.

“It never really ends ideally after that, because I will not agree to being a one-trick pony, that speaks to one demographic, one type of way.”

In an admirably open blog post for Pigeons and Planes, Rome asks fans what they think he can do to make it to the next level, complaining that record labels have no idea what to do with unsigned artists who’ve already achieved big success through Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

I can’t stay in this position forever because the allure will fade,” he says, noting that he’s already collaborated with “everyone from Gucci to Young Thug to Makonnen to Bassnectar to Four Tet.”

“If I’m being noticed by some of the most successful artists today, what’s keeping me from being regarded as one of them? I’m very appreciative of my fans, but it’s time to amplify my audience. How?”

It’s a damn good question. Artists who’ve made achieved a certain level of success with internet support often find themselves at a crossroads, sometimes signing deals that leave them with less support than they had previously. An investigation into Young Thug’s bizarre label limbo earlier this year revealed how the hot property is entangled in major label difficulties already.

Check out Rome’s latest EP, Small VVorld.