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Artist Spotlight: Interview w/ 19 Year Old Rapper/Producer @MaarMaar101 is bringing consciousness back to Hip Hop

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Artist Spotlight: Interview with 19 Year Old Rapper/Producer MaarMaar101 is bringing consciousness back to Hip Hop

 

Hello MaarMaar101, how long have you been in the music scene and how did you get started?

I actually started off by writing poetry. I loved writing, but poetry was like everything to me. I was, I think about 7 when I started just finding poems online and rewriting them then gave them to the girls in my class ha ha. Thought I was a little player for a second. I still write regular poetry today just not as much. But around 10 or 11 years old I started to sneak and listen to my brothers’ raps and their favorite rappers. Like, I had censored albums so that’s why I had to sneak. First CD I bought which was Hot at the time was 50 Cent’s ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ and Eminem’s ‘The Eminem Show’. Right then is when I knew. Popped on my headphones and never took ‘em off. Started writing raps at 11 and recorded my first song at 13. It was trash though. But that’s how it all began.

L3FS Promo imageWhat is the significance of your name?

Not really anything special. MaarMaar has always been my childhood nickname because I hated being called Lamaar. 101 is something I made up when I was like 14, I think. It means over the limit of great. Above 100%. It’s funny because when I first started rapping, I use to call myself  “Jet” then “Killamaar” and after a while I started realizing how fake I was making my image and decided to change it to something affiliated with my actual name. What’s art with a shield ya know?

What music did you listen to growing up and do you think it has influenced your direction as an artist?

Aw man I used to LOVE gangsta rap. I mean yeah, for a while it influenced me but definitely F’d my mind set up. It helped me be a rapper but not an artist though. Experiences created my art not too much another man that likes to talk about guns in his rap music. It was cool bumping the hardcore stuff but it only taught how to exercise anger and at one point I had to realize that with the life handed to me I was way more than angry.

 

Similar to Pharrell Williams and Kanye West, you are a Producer and an Artist. Do you prefer being one over the other?

Definitely, I’d like to be seen as more of a lyric writer then the beat maker. Not because I think one is better than the other per se, but mainly because I started off with being seen as having a way with words and I’d like to finish that way.

Your 2nd album and latest project “Vindiction: The Free E.P” (http://amzn.com/B00IVFEN3G) made it to #11 on Amazon’s Top 100 Free Albums chart. What marketing strategy did you use to break the top 20 on Amazon?

Ha! I have no clue on how it got THAT far. Like, I thought it would have been steady at where it started in a range around the 30’s and 40’s but I didn’t think it would even come close to the Top 20. I guess the fans who didn’t have the money to get my first album ‘Special’ saw that this one was free and didn’t miss any opportunities to get it since they couldn’t get the other. I definitely shared the hell out of the link though. Only booked one promoter to assist me but he was kind of lazy with it, so… yeah. No clue. Vindiction-Front-Cover-Full2

What are you currently working on?

I have to get started on my 3rd album soon. I spent months producing beats and trying to learn new mastering skills to make my quality worth buying. Problem was I kept losing jobs and I was trying to save up the money to get a song on WSHH. Not having money put me in such a rut not to mention my fan bases quick inflation. I had to find a way to get my fans back. When the buzz is there then I was planning to start the new album planned release in 2015.

You produce your own material; do you also work with other producers?

I got some offers here and there but never really went through with it. I wanted to get better before linking up with others.

What is your opinion of the current state of the music industry?

It’s kind of like, the more unintelligent a song sounds, the more love it gets. I can’t say all the rappers in the industry are garbage but definitely a large percentage. People that listen to their music have no idea what’s being said half of the time either. They just bob their heads to the subliminal messages. It’s like if you’re not prepared to rap about violence, sex, vanity, how much more you have than others or disrespecting women – You might as well kiss “makin’ it big” goodbye

If you could change one thing about the music industry what would it be, and why?

I think there should be a level of education to make it close enough to sign any contracts. Not even school education; just mainly test their musical structure and art. I can’t necessarily pick one thing. There’s holes everywhere in there that ineligible of being patched up. All I can say is that I’ve peeked through the window before and there is nothing good inside. Not good, like tasteful. Good like, there is no secret you will find out about the industry that won’t make you  say “oh…My…God”.

 

What separates you from the other 100’s of other artist out there?

I’m not sure. Possibly my message within my music. Honestly, it’s not something I’ve ever focused on.

 

What are some major misconceptions that you think people have of you?

(lol) That I am unhappy. People hear my music or see me not smiling and always – and I mean ALWAYS ask me why am I so sad or angry. Really, as far as the music goes, that’s how it’ll always be. Simply because I think no emotions other than sad and angry produce such substantial art. Also, my stories are never happy stories. I mean, I haven’t had a good life and finally speaking on it. Rather than saying what gun should be pulled out, who I’m gonna rob or coming up with the next best provocative thought on women. As far as me not smiling or lookin sad or angry… That’s just my face. (lol)

Are you performing anywhere in the near future?

Hopefully, I can plan some tour dates for 2015 with the new fan base headed my way. It’s really hard to find places to perform when nobody’s booking you and especially when you are not big time famous. I hope I can find some gigs though. Just going to have to wait and see what happens.

What is your website and/or contact info?

Twitter: http://Twitter.com/MaarMaar101

Facebook: http://Facebook.com/MaarMaar101

YouTube: http://Youtube.com/MaarMaar101

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