MARKUS
What activities/art-form did you pick up as a kid that shaped you into the artist you are today ? In what way do YOU think it shaped you ?
“MM- you know truthfully as a kid I was so intimidated by just the world that art wasn’t necessarily in my wheelhouse at that point. I loved to sing I will say that you know I would remember my mom she used to have this usher confessions CD that I would always steal and just fucking jam too and sing my little heart out too. But I never really found the courage to get myself like on a stage but you know behind closed doors. I was killing a Grammy stage lol but yeah whenever I’m creating something now, whether it’s a verse or whatever the case is sometimes I rush it before I even record I’ll just go on Instagram and fucking rap on the story just cause I’m like damn the world needs to hear this and they’ll say you know I should maybe polish it a bit more and drop it on as an actual song.. but at the same time I’m like I don’t necessarily create for the validation anymore. You know what I mean? I just wanna hear myself talk that shit and yeah so I think stagnation as a young man has pushed me to be more confident, and steadfast with my choices now as an artist.”
Were you picked on as a child ? If so how ? How do you think that affected your life today as an artist ?
“Was I picked on as a child? I guess somewhat you know I had a lisp growing up so that kind of became you know some fodder for my friends, but I’ll be honest the biggest bully in my life even as a young man has always been myself. I did a good job at keeping myself trapped inside my head, just based off of like damn like you’re not gonna fuck with me because I have a lisp this and then it’s like probably like seven or eight when I found out that I was queer, you know what I mean and then I’m like now I’m having to mask and act straight, which was crazy so I was like you know the world is gonna be the world. It’s going to twist and it’s gonna pull you whatever way, but how I felt about myself and those younger times definitely has it. It was hard man. It was hard you know what I mean like my depression was my biggest bully.. there was nobody outside of that, that spoke worse on myself than myself if that makes sense. so yeah and I think now as an artist. I try to do a better job at seeing who I am and accepting it you know what I mean? if there are moments where I feel like I can get better or do better not for the world for me. You know I work in doing that and art has been special. with my music it’s become a bit of a diary. You know every new song I write I learn more about myself whether there are things that I’m going through now or moments that I experienced as a child you know it adds clarity to it, so yeah, shout to the bullies.”
What daily activity makes you feel most connected to your hands within your Art-form ?
“I’ll be honest the thing that kind of gives me the biggest rush makes me feel the best gets me. Back in flow is realistically just working out. You know specifically you know yoga I’ve attempted to do Pilates, which is been hard but really good exercise even just weightlifting you know I mean running it reminds you that you’re human and you have a limit you know what I’m saying but your mind doesn’t have any limitations right? so it’s like as I’m in there and I’m pushing through on the fucking bench press or see if I’m jogging right there’s times like my body is saying yo stop please stop. I’m tired of blah blah blah but my mind is like no we can push further we can go harder you know what I mean and I think they’re were moments as a younger man where I allowed my mind and my body to kind of work in tandem and saying we need rest, which not to say that we don’t you know, but I’m capable of so much more when I just try harder and I think working out and getting the results of like seeing my body change and you know feeling better about myself has shown me that oh my God like I can take this energy into the world now granted it’s not just about lifting things and putting them down you know what I mean, but you can work out with your mind. You know you can work out with your heart you can you know test yourself and challenge yourself to see truly what your limits are and to push through them. there’s things that we’re so quick to give up on Just because it’s hard in the moment but then on the back end, you realize if I just went a little harder if I just stuck to that for a little bit longer. I would be reaping the benefits right now.. and I don’t say that on some like pity party shit you know I’m just saying I started to realize those L’s were really just lessons.. so yeaaa working out. It’s been my saving grace.”
What do you appreciate most about how YOUR art makes you feel ?
“That’s a good question Figgy fig, I would say the biggest thing is I feel like I’m finding a map to not only Marcus but every version of Marcus or Figgy the black or Chzybop. You know what I’m saying like life is limitless man and there’s times when I’m writing where it seems like I’m not even telling a story that I’ve ever experienced at least I don’t remember you know I feel like I’m pulling on things or calling on or channeling energy from different dimensions sometimes man you know I have wrote songs about wars that Ive partaken in, but I’ve never shot somebody you know I’ve wrote songs about being in loving healthy relationships, and I’m king toxic you know at least in this lifetime lol so I like that I like how it allows me to come up with my own storyline you know what I’m saying when we’re born it’s like they say this is your family. This is your sex. This is your name and then you're programmed with everything else. But with art. It’s kind of like you’re discovering like oh that’s who I am you know so yeah man . I like the mystery of it all”
What pushes you to be a better artist today ?
“oh I would say there was a point where I started creating for validation man you know when I first started it, I was honestly tripping balls and just saw myself on a stage with a microphone. I guess they say I was hallucinating, but I’ve never really hallucinated on acid so I think that was me channeling you know time traveling if you will, but it was all innocent though you know what I’m saying it was all off the cuff I didn’t care what people thought cause nobody thought anything cause I didn’t even know I could rap you know and then I started getting noticed and then I started seeing trends and you know like oh shit this is what these fuckers want let me go ahead and make that you know, but then I started becoming disconnected from it all so I think what pushes me now it’s just, This is my hero’s journey. You know what I mean, but the more I grow as a man, the more mature the more you know paths I go on I realize that everybody’s on the heroes journey you know what I’m saying like we’re all our own main character so I try to live life to the fullest so my art reflects a well traveled person. You know what I mean I want the world to know there’s no right way of doing this. You know what I’m saying you gotta walk your path and fight for what it is you stand for and I know this is kind of deviating from the question but if my heart was to never be heard by anybody in the world, I would still be happy knowing that I’m writing a story that is showing it’s OK to fall. It’s OK to feel like you’re in the darkness you know but eventually, you know you do realize that you are the light you know so yeah I think what pushes me it’s just it’s less about art and more about becoming a better man.”
BONUS QUESTIONS.
What is your Favorite song at the moment ?
“I would say my favorite song currently, this is a loaded question. The one that I’ve been fixating on recently is Vincent now there’s two different versions. I wanna see that the first one is by Don McLean and then the one that I’ve been listening to a bunch is the one by James Blake and this song is basically about Vincent van Gogh‘s long lost lover where that may have been and they’re singing about Vincent and I guess it’s just kind of an analyzation of what being a true artist, kind of feels like but viewing it from not the artist from the person watching them and seeing how detached they are from society, but so enamored by it at the same time, you know what I’m saying, all his art when you think of van Gogh is very personal to the world you know that’s how he views things but when you speak on Vincent all we hear about is the pain right but imagine feeling all that pain and then still coming out of the back end and making some of the most beautiful pieces we’ve ever seen you still talk about them to this day so I just appreciated the honesty of it all.”
What was your favorite Disney movie growing up ?
“So I have a couple Disney movies that I hold dear to my heart now my favorite is hands-down the first Goofy movie personally I think it is peak Disney the songs in it are fucking fire. The message is very dope and goofy. Just kind of represented something very special to me as a young man I’m, getting emotional thinking about this . You know I didn’t always feel that connected to my dad so watching the goofy movie and seeing how much goofy was just trying to love on Max you know made me really happy, man and yeah I think about that a lot. This is a tough question. Yeah and whenever I’m having a tough time or just you know second-guessing myself or if I need even some advice. I’ll go watch that and it makes things a lot better.”
Do you have any scars ? What is the story on them ? Who’s your favorite superhero? (2)
“Oh, I like these question I do have a lot of scars. The one I’m gonna talk about now is the one on my knee and I was probably maybe 12, 13 years old and I was riding bikes with my stepbrother Malcolm love you milky and we’re like riding down this hill and I remember getting like halfway down the hill and like fucking close my eyes and like I had like a vision it was like a premonition, bro I saw myself fall and like slide into the street and then get hit by a car so to avoid that because it wasn’t a dream it was my life happening. I remember as soon as I open my eyes, I stopped on the break like and Ended up falling and sliding into the street and I remember seeing the car come and thinking like is this how I die? and I didn’t cause I’m talking to you now, lolol but I am this leads to my next answer of my favorite superhero my: favorite superhero is little Marcus and Batman He was so strong and had abilities that we’re still unearthing today I’m not gonna say psych because y’all think I’m crazy even though I promise you I am. But Yeah little Marcus he was Mr. indestructible both mentally and physically. And then I really fuck with Batman because he just so tactful bro like when it comes to rapping and stuff like that like I’m a Uber competitor you know what I’m saying so it’s like Batman was dope cause even when he was in the justice league just in case a motherfucking stepped out of line. He had a game plan on how he was gonna fuck them up. You know what I’m saying I kind of move the same with how I create when I’m in group settings which I know is a little toxic but for me it’s like if we compete you know what I’m saying like I wanna draw blood but not to kill you. You know what I’m saying just to make us both stronger and I think that’s kind of what Batman stands for you A real one tired of the bullshit not the most physically gifted, but boy what you can do with a strong mind and some money so yeah so yeah two birds with one stone boo bear”
Have you ever experienced a miracle? Could you describe it?
“I feel like a miracle is a bit of a loaded thing to say because that’s all up to the eye of the beholder right. But I remember back in high school. This is probably my junior year. Definitely my Junior year but I remember always like looking at a clock and the time being 713 which resonates with me because that is my birthday and I was born July 13 so I was like maybe I’m just intentionally looking for this number right but at this specific time but then there was a moment where I was like you know what let me just google 713 let’s see what pops up and it was a Bible verse Matthew 713 And to break it down and mean there’s two it says there’s two paths, the wide path that usually everybody takes but it leads to destruction but then there’s also a small path that’s very narrow and there’s a bunch of twists and turns and it’s gonna take you exponentially longer to get to your end goal but when you do get there, it’s gonna be so worth it and once again, don’t really know why It correlated, but I liked it and then I remember I’m over my friend Dylan‘s house and were playing video games me and my boy Cory and I remember just getting like light head/ vertigo I felt nauseous and all fucked and I looked over at the clock and it said 713 and I remember like long story short ended up being in the hospital for a couple days.. ended up figuring out I had a pinched nerve in my neck from football.. and the doctor recommended that I should stop playing because if I don’t, then I’ll probably end up being paralyzed, which in essence took away her choice of a path that I can potentially go on lol. now granted I was in high school and I was just beginning to smoke a little bit of weed you know what I’m saying so maybe it wasn’t a miracle but it was definitely a sign and it definitely snowballed into who I am today you know I enjoy isolation maybe a little too much, but Yeah, I found solace in taking the narrow path”
