by Krept, also known as Casyo Johnson, is a renowned grime artist and rapper, and one half of the award-winning duo Krept and Konan, as well as co-hosting the BBC TV show The Rap Game.
Together with his former partner, model Sasha Ellese, he created Nala’s Baby, a skin care range for young children. Krept, 34, lives just outside London.
How did your upbringing influence your attitude towards money?
I grew up in Gipsy Hill, south east London – there was a lot of violence in the area and my brother and I didn’t have the best start. My mother was separated from my father who was in prison for five years for drugs. She tried her best but the need to make money was ingrained in me when I was a child.
What was your first paid job?
He was delivering leaflets for my local Indian takeaway. They knew me because I would go there to eat. I actually asked them for the job and they said yes. I was paid around £2.50 an hour. It was 2005 and I was about 14 or 15.
Where does the name rapper Krept come from?
When I was a kid, I was called Kreps after the trainers and it ended up being Krept.
How did you make it as a rapper?
I used to make music as a hobby and started writing lyrics in my youth club. Konan, who was a very good MC at the time, thought they were good and we did some songs that we shared via Infrared, which is how people sent music before Bluetooth.
We grew in popularity and this led to this [the late] Jamal Edwards letting us play on his YouTube channel SBTV: Music. It took off slowly, then we released our independent mixtape Young Kingz in 2013, which took off. The real game changer was our song Don’t Waste My Time.
We went from Konan being homeless to releasing that song independently and using it in the movie Creed (2015). We signed a record deal, won awards, got bookings and started seeing money from shows and festivals. In 2019, we filled the O2 Arena.
Then you succeeded with Nala’s Baby. How did that happen?
I always wanted to branch out and not just do music. I am very interested in different streams of income. I also want to create a life for my daughter that I could not have. I don’t want her to go through what we did as kids.
Sasha was pregnant and worried about what she was putting on her skin but when she checked products on the Think Dirty app (which explains ingredients), the only ones that had no chemicals and were completely clean £30 a bottle. None of the others were “clean”. So we decided to make one that was affordable.
I knew we had to find the right people who could do this professionally, so I contacted someone I knew who worked in retail, who introduced us to a manufacturer who was specialized in skin and hair care. We met and told them exactly what we wanted: a zero rated baby hair and skin product and it ticked all the boxes.
How difficult was it to do this, with no experience in this field?
The development of the products took a year and a half. Every day during the lockdown, I researched every single ingredient. If it wasn’t going to be closed at home, I would never have had the time and probably never would have done it.
Combining something pediatrician and dermatologist approved, as well as affordable, in a bottle is quite difficult. We required a minimum order size, so we told Boots what they wanted.
Suddenly, Nala’s Baby became much bigger than our original idea. It sold very quickly and we were out of stock for a while. But these are good problems.
Has being famous helped you get investment?
Being famous had its pros and cons. It meant I had some kind of platform and traction. Many of my angel investors came through my music network [Anthony Joshua and Jourdan Dunn are some of the most famous investors].
However, when you’re a rapper getting into baby skin care products, kind people look at you sideways and wonder, “How can I trust you to do this?”
I had so much to prove but I always said if someone buys it once, they will come back.
Which career has had the most financial impact, being a successful rapper or co-creator of Nala’s Baby?
Financially, the projected numbers for Nala’s Baby are much bigger than my music work and remember you can earn a lot of money in music. But in terms of business, scaling and becoming a national brand, Nala’s Baby will really be something.
Since launching in June 2022, we have sold over a million products. Sales have increased by 55 per year and in this financial year they are expected to increase by a further 100. Last year, the business was worth £17m.
Property or pension?
The two. I have a buy to let in Liverpool which is a little stressful when things go wrong – if the shower needs fixing, or if a tenant is not happy with something. I am a very good landlord and if they have gone through any inconvenience I make it up to them, because I have been in that situation.
Now, I have a management company to take care of her, which works for me. I am in the middle of a buy to let refinance.
I am setting up a pension for myself and one for my daughter as well. I can save between £2,000 and £3,000 a year, for several years, so by the time she retires, she should have a £1m pension. It is also good to put it into a property.
Has having a daughter changed your attitude towards money?
Definitely. I think about my spending more in terms of what I can invest in or what can have a positive impact later.
I have taken out life insurance [Krept was stabbed after a Birmingham concert in 2019] so that it automatically pays my mortgage and the house goes to my daughter. I have also established a trust for her and made sure that if I am not here, she is okay.
Are you a saver or a spender?
Save. Definitely. All my friends say I’m tight – which means I’m a savior.
What do you like to splurge on?
I spend money on comfort. When it comes to travel, I don’t mind hiring a driver and a Mercedes Benz Viano with a back row so I can lie down.
Sometimes I will get to fly business class over economy. And I don’t mind spending money on a watch I love that won’t depreciate, like Audemars Piguet.
I travel a lot for work and I don’t enjoy visiting different countries as much as I would like, so I try to have one free trip a year.
Does money make you happy?
It’s not the root of my happiness, but it sure helps. And I really enjoy helping friends and family, I like it. Money doesn’t change the reality of everyday life or the state of your health or relationships, but it certainly helps to eliminate problems.
Nala’s Baby is available in most major supermarkets.
