Most release tracks, but to be honest my approach is to exhibit. My sensibility genuinely has more so always been that of a visual artist, rather than a rapping machine who releases a mix tape every two months. Much respect to those who are that prolific and can keep the quality equally consistent with the volume but that’s just not me, never was and never will be. It’s partly due to my circumstances and also the intent in my overall artistry.

You see I’m not part of the so called ‘industry’, any 'scene’ be it 'over ground’ OR 'underground’. This work is me doing family business pretty much and minding my business; Even those whom I’ve collaborated with on this music probably don’t fully understand that so sometimes my pacing frustrates them because they’ve always thought I was and am really good and creative when it came to this rap shit so I should put out all what they hear from me as soon as I start to make it, emphasis on start. Their confidence in my capabilities is appreciated but if the song isn’t close enough to what I’m hearing in my head…I’ll wait until the resources and conditions are available to complete the painting, sorry I mean - song. I commonly confuse the two.  

In These Times was one of the earliest examples of this. The memories do fade with age but I will try my best. The original beat was cooked up by one of my first collaborative producers Kevin aka God Skillz, a local talent I’ve known since secondary school whose lab was somewhat of a hub in the neighbourhood where among general bonds of various friendships and hustler ties being established the odd hip hop song would be crafted. We weren’t amazingly prolific to be fair but we were trying to do our thing and had aspirations. There were numerous pieces worked on in this period and a couple have seen the light (’Chronolog’ and ’Grey Hairs’ respectively, featured on my debut EP Elohymns - In the Master Key). As a principle based on being blessed with these beats just on the strength of rating each other’s talents, I refused to be cavalier about anything gifted to me. It might as well be the top of the tier giving me productions, I make no distinction. Those considered the best usually are products of great marketing and big budgets. We had (and still don’t have) neither yet persisted with the passion to make competing heat. I always appreciated that about who I’ve personally built with - Kev being one of them.

This track was never going to be a throw away, From the moment I heard it I always saw it as a piece that without being forced had all the components of a timeless song that although the primary incarnation was that of 'rap’ it could be reinterpreted in any genre (at least within reason and avoidance of begging it).

The inspiration? The usual for your typical song writer trying to pen something relatable- memories good or bad and the juxtaposition of them with instances that caused them to be invoked in the first place whilst on a nondescript journey in the manor. Where was I going? Who knows. Probably to Kev’s old spot, because by the 3rd verse I speak of coming above ground so that’s Harlesden Station upwards… a finicky detail, I digress. In terms of the end result I was aiming for what I was always hearing in my head which was the music I was raised on: echoes of Quincy Jones productions and harmony work, Lee Perry and beyond. And until I got to something that at least resembled that I wasn’t done. This song has definitely gone on a journey of evolution. Various studios session, re-records, other collaborators on the engineering end appreciating it and helping me finish when Kevin momentarily fell back from pursuing music but trusted me enough with its completion. Some would call it delusional stubbornness, After all I’m no superstar rapper but guess what? I’m an artist who commits to his statement because the value is in the STATEMENT not in its adoration and just as important the bottom line is I try to make sure that I finish what I start.

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This Song started as a piece i was initially putting together with Illicit. The beat he had cooked up was
something i really was feeling but when he played it to his older brother, party got pooped- turns out
another artist had used the loop for a ‘mixtape’ already so being a sticklr for originality
(if you can have those ethics with loops?!).I parked the idea and forgot about it for a while.
Around the same time a long time comrade of Illicit’s called Steflon was invited to be a part of what we were doing
as far as constructing a production team,
All was going well but you know how things go with slightly younger cats they’ll fuck up a bowl of cornlakes
even if you give them a spoon,…….*




Chronolog-The Path

I went to a secondary school called Claremont in Kenton, Back then you had the hip-hop heads and the Psuedo
wanna be yardie ragga heads.I got along with both as i was just a fan of music period.But in terms of creative
lateral execution i found that flexed more in the hip-hop arena so the more deeper convo’s i was having
in the playground revolved around the latest rap release. On occasion a short cat slightly older than me called ,
Kevin would join in. he had just moved over from New York to complete his studies.We built up a rapport cos I think my
interest in things like supreme math threw him plus we had similar tastes in music,Comics and trainers (when i could afford them)
This was us from about 92-93- Shout out to lawson too who would become DJ lawson another claremont alum-He would lend us source mags and Cd’s- Cool dude. Kev finished up, I ramped and had
to do re-sits, I finished in 94 and went on holiday with my mother to her place of birth, Barbados. I re-connected with
Kev that same year after he heard about my brothers passing. We’d hang out over at his place in Harlesden talking
the same shit we always did, It was a dark time for me though so my mind was on killing something but the leveler
was the music -kev was making beats now- and he was making that heat too may i add…….*



Grey Hairs

This was another heater from kev that i had in the vault to do when the time was right. My approach is
always about the narrative.I’m the wrong rapper to listen to for that rhyme for the sake of riddling shit. I’ve always respected the greats who were real depictive with thier’s. Growing up and parenthood
had made many of our passions to do this music thing wane a bit so kev wasn’t even going that hard with
the production but this was one of the bits he had laying around.
For me this captured a time
for me when freinds and just folks from the cut were getting killed due to alot of mix up or generally
getting caught up and their future’s taken from them…….*




On Square

Prop’s is my cousin but don’t confuse the next statement with obvious bias- He’s one of the best
beat makers the U.K. Hip-Hop game has to offer :-).I’ve been around many great producers who do a few things
well -Prop’s does many things very well. Beat makers tails tuck when i play his production around them
So it can’t be merely hype and they all agree-he‘s on this thing’,Mad shit is in my opinion -he’s still playing!! Funny thing about this piece is it started as a section of a medley he had put together on my request as a reel
to try and get some interest generated in him as a producer for hire (He flipped the same song three
different ways- the other two bits are just as sick)…….*




Don’t Fool Ya’Self

What can I say? A.c. Layne’s one of the greats and this is one of a number of pressures we’re putting together
so get ready. He thinks i’m extra when it comes to making songs from the ground up but its all with the aim
of getting it right.Leaked the rough draft to the streets a while back as a taster but now this is the definitive version.
I think we got what we were looking for,‘When it comes to marcus a songs never finished’ thats the running joke
amongst my collaborators but they’ll understand in time the patience exellence requires…….*



Brent Is…

Life,Hieghts/woes,lows/Beauty,Pain
Hustle,The game/Honour,Respect
Conflict,Death/Love,Hate
Survival,The Mindstate

I had to put it down for the manor .This song went through a few incarnations; I tried to get a producer from
the neighbourhood to assist on this one ,to make it as authentic as possible (shout out to D’Lux and Zain
for your attempts on the beat approach), Was about to give up on it until the god illicit came through with a
classic…….*



The 7th Seal

And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour…

What a Story this song has…
When I was living in Kensal rise i would stay up late listening to jazz fM (thats before they changed their
name to smooth?!!) with my minidisc cued up ready for any heat i would hear.- This was one of those classics
that came through-Everybody has sampled this David Axelrod Piece but based on the fact that i chopped
this up and sequenced it on a Sony Minidisc player originally?…
not bad if i say so myself.
Lyrically my approach was simply to go all out, My first born had just recently arrived in the world
so my energy was on some now or never shit. Science behind the title is that i was born on the 7th of July 1977,seven is the number of God.
Honestly, at this point in my life i was contemplating giving up on making music but this was one example of
those inspired moments that rejuvinated the hunger and pulled me back in. Some may scoff at the sentiment
of return in the chorus (From where?!!who missed you enough to need to anticipate your coming back?),
but the meaning of it is more personal for me as it represented the return of my focus the reminder of keeping
my inner Sun shining bright regardless to whom or what…….*



*Read full version when physical copies of Elohymns - In the Master Key™ become available