Marc 7
Los Angeles, CA | Established. Jan 01, 1996 | AFTRA
Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Jurassic 5 rapper Marc 7’s debut solo album, Food Clothing & Shelter, which dropped in March of this year, is enjoyable, yet thought-provoking, angry at times, and always heartfelt. Born in New Jersey, Marc 7 moved at the age of 14 to California, perhaps the reason why the sounds of both east and west coast hip-hop scenes can be heard in his album.
A member of J5 for more than 20 years who has recently decided to embark on a solo career, Marc 7 is clearly talented and comfortable rhyming about even the most difficult of topics. The passion in his voice translates easily in the mind’s eye, as long-winded sessions where he just closes his eyes and improvises his heart out. His rhyming is smooth and tight; no glitches can be found in his cadence, no extra words that weigh the entire verse down. Quite the contrary. Every word is well placed and expertly interconnected.
Marc 7Even when set in lighter melodies and beats, the lyrics are heavy, even bordering at times on a dark side. The album’s socially charged single “I Who Have Nothing” focuses on the injustice and hypocrisy in the world, while keeping a hopeful attitude.
The album opens up with one of many skits peppering the album that place the songs within some context. “Runaway” begins with an upbeat, electronic, 1970s-inspired beat that gives is an old school flavor. It features very smooth rhyming that flows without any glitch. It is a solid opener followed by “Inhale”, another strong track that features an old school vibe from the 1990s. The rhyming is slower but features the same smoothness of its predecessor. Zaakir joins Marc 7 in “Right About Now”; their rhyming weaves and interlocks together in a way that none of the previously set smoothness is lost.
The slower beat of “Blow in the Breeze”, which features Abstract Rude, has a bit of an R&B flavor to it, featuring a mellowness that adds to the overall smoothness of the rhyming. The reggae tones of “Ghetto Streets”, featuring Tippa Irie and Orlando Royal, contrast with the darkness of its lyrics, which discuss the pressures of living in a ghetto.
“I Who Have Nothing” is yet another dark track, set in a calm melody but featuring a significant increase in the tempo of the rhyming. The sharp contrast in beats makes the melody all the more ominous, especially with the addition of a staccato violin in the background and a female voice blanketing the song with an almost quiet, wail-like chant. The contrast seems to mark the fence between hope and despair; one hears at times the potential light at the end of the tunnel in her voice, and other times you hear the darkness of despair in his.
“Sensational”, featuring Akil (Jurassic 5) and Saint Mark 923 also builds off a slow beat; this mellow track is the simplest one of the album with only a couple of layers including the vocals. The closing “Time” is another strong track, the tone of which is set with the plucked guitar and helium-high voice that kick it off.
Featuring great rhyming, a variety of beats and melodies, and clean production, Food Clothing & Shelter is a strong, radio-friendly debut album by Jurassic member Marc 7. The album is available for streaming on SoundCloud. More information about Marc 7 is available on his Facebook page. - BlogCritics
As a member of the Los Angeles based Hip Hop group Jurassic 5, Marc 7 contributed to the Top 20 albums Power in Numbers and Feedback. The Paterson, New Jersey born emcee officially set out on his own in 2014 with his debut studio LP Food Clothing & Shelter, and Marc is now returning one year later with his latest effort - When Sounds Attack (Vol. 1).
The 9-track EP includes the soulful “Lose You” and the thundering “Sasquatch.” Fellow West Coast representative Blu joins Marc on “Make A Way.” Knytro and MC Supernatural also show up on “Come 2 Far.”
Even with verbal assistance from other rappers and longtime associate “Big John” Meyers serving as engineer, When Sounds Attack is fully a Marc 7 creation. The project is being released on his Marc7 Music label, and the EP’s aesthetic was forged by the artist himself.
WSA1 is just the opening salvo of the socially conscious rhyme spitter’s musical delivery for 2015. Before he continues his re-introduction to the world as a solo performer, AllHipHop.com caught up with Marc 7 to get some insight into his new commercial release.
[ALSO READ: PREMIERE: Marc 7 (of Jurassic 5) – “Lose You”]
Why did you decide to do an EP rather than a full length project?
A lot of thought went into the first record, but when I thought about doing Sounds Attack it was kind of split music wise. I had producers in mind I wanted to work with like Hirolla Beats, but also Blacksmith and Frenic. They had production on Food, Clothing & Shelter.
There’s also a cat named Iron Monkey. I had a bunch of beats from him, so I said, “I may do this in three series and feature one producer’s work more than the others.” Hirolla Beats had a lot of production on volume 1 of Sounds Attack.
Are you expecting to drop the other two volumes this year?
God willing, I’m hoping to drop volume 2 in the summer time and volume three fourth quarter.
You talked about the production being different. What about the content?
It really depends on where the music takes me. I’m always going to have something to say on my tracks. At the same time, sometimes I just want to be an emcee and just rhyme. So it really depends on what the music is saying. Volume 2 is more an emcee’s record. It’s more hard-hitting beats.
You’re releasing Sound Attacks on your own Marc 7 Music?
Yeah, that’s my label.
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of releasing music on your own?
I can’t really say any disadvantages. Where the industry is right now, it’s a great time to be an independent artist. With the explosion of the Internet, how music is received and streamed, how you can get it out - if Jurassic 5 had this when we were coming out, there’s no telling where we would be.
You don’t have to really worry about a label supporting you. It’s not necessary. In all honesty, if someone offered me a deal I wouldn’t take it. I would never sign a 360 deal. That’s just me. There’s no reason to give up so much of your pot of gold to a label that's just going to give you a little marketing which you probably already have, depending on your presence online.
The artist direct-to-fan marketing is where it’s going. If you have that support or fanbase, what else is there?
With a lot of the majors now, they’re not interested in signing an artist unless you come in with a fanbase, but then they get a cut of your merchandise and touring. So what is the advantage of being on a major label?
They know the secret to all this is that fanbase. All they want to do is to tap into your base to get it to whoever else is on their roster. It’s the Information Age. There’s a lot of money in people’s information. There’s a high demand for it.
I remember I called an A&R at Interscope after we left to get my hands on the mailing list for J5. They didn’t want to give it up. They finally gave it up. It had over 40,000 names. That alone you could sell, not that I would. It’s just a weird time in music in general.
Now that you have your own label, are you interested in signing other artists?
I would like to, but what I’m really trying to do is figure out the stumbling blocks on my own first before I bring someone’s career here and mess it up. I want to be the test dummy. That way I can get a feel of how I want to do it. I’ve linked with some really good people as far as distribution and p.r.
I'm figuring this thing out. Then when I get to that place where I’m comfortable putting stuff out, I can do it. When I establish that on my own, then I’ll bring somebody else in. But yes, I definitely would like to put some cats on.
J5 Tour
As you build the promotion for Sounds Attack, are you looking to tour?
I have a commitment with J5 in March to do Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Then we have some summer stuff. I really would like to do a tour of my own after Vol. 2 comes out. I just want to get a nice amount of music under my belt. Let the people know I’m serious about it, and I’m putting out quality stuff.
Was it a different process for you recording a solo album after being in a group?
Yeah, it was, because you’re so used to having all those people’s input and critiquing everything. We’re hard on each other. One thing about [recording with] three other emcees is you don’t have a lot of space to rhyme, so when it’s your time you better do what you do, put as much heat on as you can.
The beauty of being by yourself is you have the whole song to rhyme. There’s a good and a bad. There’s no one to tell you, “I’m not feeling that.” The flip side is it’s all you. All the decisions are on you. You’re the only one that has to say, “Alright, it’s dope. It’s ready.” It’s a good and a bad, but I enjoy the process. I’m on a roll now. - ALLHIPHOP.COM
The collaboration between Vandelux and Jurassic 5’s Marc 7 is testament to musical worlds colliding, blending a classic hip hop flow with pulsing electronica in their track “That Look.” This partnership stemmed from Vandelux’s original remix of Jurassic 5’s track “What’s Golden,” eventually bringing the two together and resulting in what will soon be a full collaborative album. Whatever these guys are doing in the studio, it seems to be working. Get a feel for their evolutionary brand of electro-hip-hop below, and stay tuned for more tracks from Vandelux and Marc 7 on the horizon. - BUFFABLOG
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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