A cool £100,000 may seem like a lot for a young musician with hopes of making it big – but it wasn’t enough to tempt Chadwell Heath rapper Rychus Ryter to sell out.

The songwriter, real name Jonathan Kabamba, says he was offered the three-year deal by a man planning to launch a music label called Mountain Factory Records, but turned it down because the man wanted to change his music.

“It was life-changing but I didn’t want to let all the people who have supported me and my church down just for money,” the 25-year-old said.

Rychus, who grew up in Chadwell Heath and went to the Warren School, is known for his dedication to changing the lives of troubled teens and makes regular visits to local schools and colleges. In 2012 he won the Recorder’s Young Citizen Award.

Rooted in the community, in January last year the rapper released a song paying tribute to Seven Kings student Louis Mafienga, who died in his sleep in November 2012.

He said that accepting the contract, which would have meant his music and clothing brand being managed out of Germany, would have amounted to him not being “true to himself”.

“He [the record label entrepreneur] was looking at it as a business opportunity, but I’m looking at it, my music, to inspire people,” he said, adding that when he turned down the deal the investor looked at him “like he was silly”.

Despite this, Rychus remains hopeful about the future.

“The only thing I can do is sit and wait for a better deal to come – and a deal that suits me,” he said.

Rychus Ryter is playing at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham on June 14 and has as yet unconfirmed plans for future dates in Redbridge. You can keep up with his progress by following him on Twitter @LordsideWorld.