Why CHEKE is Not Your Usual Hip-Hop Label in Metro Manila

Earlier this year, the marquee in Poblacion’s Apotheka nightclub read “DON’T TOUCH MY GIRL, CHECK UP 7.” It was the launch of  artists Fern Tan (known by his artist name Fern.), Al James, Because, and O SIDE MAFIA’s latest collaboration single, “D.T.M.G.” The night, hosted by independent music label CHEKE, felt like a family affair that, at any point, can turn into a full-on rager: tender, rhythmic love songs turned into moshpits as the musicians leaned into crowd favorites like “Paumaga” by Al James or “LOBAT” by Malate’s Costa Cashman (who is also signed under CHEKE).  Among all their live showcases, that show was CHEKE’s most packed crowd by far; security was tight, and I could barely find room to wiggle around.

Founded in December 2024 by Justine “Dubs” Wieneke alongside Fern Tan, Costa Cashman, Jaime San Juan, Meme Gomez, and Moeysha Barco, CHEKE was a massive risk. In a vlog, Wieneke described traveling to Bali, Indonesia, in 2024 to pitch the idea to foreign investors, calling it a “dream bigger than their bank accounts.” Fern and Wieneke were invited to a songwriting camp in Bali initiated by BEAMCO — an artist-fan platform where musicians can send exclusive merch and songs to paid subscribers. However, Wieneke never had the funds to attend that same year. With the help of label officials from BEAMCO, they were able to shoulder the flight costs to meet with music executives on the day of the pitch. With the prior experience of Wieneke, Fern, Cashman, and San Juan in the music industry, the hard work paid off. 

“We really stand for artists that want to try what they actually want to do apart from the usual label shit,” says San Juan, CHEKE’s creative head. “Like, instead of dropping [releases on] Fridays, we’re dropping on Wednesdays. Setting up our own events from our own pockets and all of that.” San Juan adds how the pursuit of traditional music labels to promote themselves as a brand often downplays the aspirations of artists. The main goal of CHEKE, he says, is to “make the artists the main heroes and not the brand itself.”

I Don’t Got Friends, I Got Family

Barco, CHEKE’s marketing manager, explains how the label welcomes different kinds of artists. This is evident in the office days, which they endearingly call “CHEKE Day”: Across one side of the room, Tan and San Juan are blasting Southeast Asian electronic music, while Cashman is rinsing baile funk remixes on the other. “Our artists in general are very open to exploring, listening to different sounds. You go to our CHEKE Day, maybe from 5 p.m., you’ll just hear different types of [loud] music. Palabanan ‘to ng pinaka-niche na songs ‘e.”

Throughout the day, CHEKE helps incubate the demos their artists make. You could either find Fern creating an album while kyleaux records a melody in the meeting room at the other. Songs are sometimes made spontaneously where writers and producers cross-pollinate with their ideas. CHEKE’s chemistry with their artists has been consistent. Wieneke recalls how regulars at the studio, even those who aren’t officially signed under the label, find themselves at home in the space. It becomes a “mi casa, su casa” setup where collaboration comes naturally.

“May parang ecosystem or community talaga kami sa CHEKE na artist, creatives, producers,” Wieneke says. “It’s not exclusive, but at the same time, it’s who you fuck with on a taste, on a collaborative, and a personality sense.”

Allergic To Numbers

As an independent label, the team needs to work double time to meet both creative and business expectations.“In the label, the songs have to be doing well,” Wieneke says, pointing out the lower streaming payouts in the Philippines versus the U.S. “Yong mahihirap lang sa Philippines is if i-compare ‘yong stream per stream rate ng US at sa Pilipinas, e di dapat mabubuhay si Cash na parang Drake kung ‘yong streaming rate ay pang-US.”

Barco adds that with Cashman experimenting with newer territory, then other artists from CHEKE are encouraged to follow suit. She thinks that their artists exist beyond the name of the label. Barco spoke on behalf of the team that the label is really meant to uplift global Filipino talent. “We’ve been local for too long,” she says. The competition is cutthroat not just only the global algorithm, but even in domestic stages. Wieneke explains what his artists’ desire for more visibility is, more often than not, thwarted by the country’s top-charting musicians. 

“Kung wala ka doon [sa charts], wala kang makukuha na gigs. Dati kasi, puro ‘vibes.’ Pero ngayon, kailangan ng data.”

“Di kami expert pero by the end of the day kailangan ‘e,” Fern. says. “A lot of musicians are allergic to numbers at the business side of it, but if you want to sustain, you have to learn it.”

Bridging Scenes Together

Since 2025, when Cashman pivoted to a solo career from his rap group O SIDE MAFIA, he experienced the shift firsthand, from the casual nature of the scene to the structured realities of deals, data, and long-term planning. Aside from the financial risk, Cashman decided to switch a production style away from his usual gangster rap. He even vowed to go back to doing typical club trap music if the new music didn’t work out. But when “LOBAT” came out, it was immediately picked up by many audiences who either love Brazilian music or Cashman’s personality. The music video climbed up to 2.1 million views in 3 months as of this writing. The creative risk of switching up genres was worth it.. Wieneke recalled that the hip-hop scene was a male dominated scene and having Cashman rap on a beat that’s unusual for him then the audience would eventually diversify. 

When Cashman and Fern were looking for artists to book for CHEKE, they quickly knew that the artists had to offer something different to the table. BABY FREEZE allowed herself to be more experimental with the production, kyleuax becoming more adventurous with his sound palette in his live band, and even Cashman himself exploring the experimental drum patterns in baile funk. Both A&Rs noticed how quickly culture, beyond the industry standards in the music scene, was transforming in every second. The shift also includes being inclusive to whoever is making it, whether or not they came from the streets or from generational wealth. 

“Yung plano talaga namen ime-merge ‘yong mundo ko sa mundo ni [Fern],” Cashman says. “Kami na ‘yong gagawa kase yan ‘yong gusto namen. Wala nang barrier kumbaga ‘yong mga mayayaman na tao nakikinig ng hip-hop atsaka ‘yong mga mahilig sa hip-hop makikinig sa mga katulad nila [Fern].”

“The problem that Dubs raised is the struggles of running a label in the Philippines, maybe we have to make money outside of here,” Fern says. “We have the talent, we have the numbers, we’re the biggest English-speaking market in Asia. Because in the Philippines, there’s already a divide. If you connect those scenes together, the numbers will increase.” 

Fern believes in exporting local talent to different agencies and promotions. The risk would be flying out and convincing a label and manager if an artist is credible enough to perform in a different audience. In return, the word around Filipino artists will “diversify.” Fern is confident in making the dream of bringing artists all over the world whether it would be to Los Angeles and Toronto. Fern then adds another game plan, “Then we get the money there. Then we bring it back here.”

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