It’s hard to throw a digital rock online without hitting a list featuring anywhere from 5 to 500 artists poised to make a big splash on the music industry at large in 2016. We have picks of our own, which will make themselves known through the content we run in coming weeks, but we are always looking for even more new talent to discover. Having a good song or two is nice, but those who truly wish to make it in the modern age need more than a hook and melody to succeed. Artists today need to be self-motivated, confident without being cocky, and above all forward-thinking. They need to disregard the path to success others have paved and find a way to lift themselves, as well as others in their genre, out of the muck of obscurity.
As far as we are concerned, few independent musicians are doing more to make a difference in the world today than Marco Pavé, a fast rising hip-hop artist from Memphis, TN. Pavé has yet to have a hit single on national radio, but he has already given a TED talk on the importance of socially conscious music and developed a dedicated online following that wouldn’t think twice to promote his latest creations. For Marco, success is best when it aides the people around him as much as it does himself, and it’s that desire to see his entire community rise up that is helping establish his presence in the art world.
We recently had the opportunity to chat with Marco about his life and career, as well as where he hopes to find himself in the future. You can find highlights from our conversation below.
Haulix: Hello, Marco. Thank you for taking a few minutes to speak with us. How is the day treating you so far?
Marco: Hey! Thanks for having me! It’s going pretty good, things are picking up pretty well for me; so staying busy is always good.
H: Your most recent EP, Perception, dropped about two months ago. How has the response been so far?
Marco: Yes, time is flying on that project! The response has been very great. My EP debuted at #24 on the CMJ charts and quickly made it way to the top 10 and eventually to #2 most recently. My EP has been featured on sites like The Source, That’s Enuff, Soul Train, BlkDmnds, and many more. The paper of record in Memphis, The Commercial Appeal named my EP as one of the best records on the year in Memphis. I am a blessed that 5 songs have been this critically acclaimed.
H: Do you have goals in mind for each release? If so, what did you hope to accomplish with the release of ‘Perception’?
Marco: Yes. I have specific goals for everything that I do, especially with a project. I always want to increase my fanbase when I release new music. I feel like that was one of my main goals for this project. I have rapidly grown from the local Memphis scene and my music and project goals need to reflect that. I also wanted to accomplish the goal of telling my story and not giving a dam what anyone had to say about it.
H: The single, “Black Tux,” has been on repeat in our offices for about three months at this point. I think we first caught it on when The Source ran it back in September. I know a lot of aspiring rappers struggle to catch the attention of any blogger, let along the major publications. To what do you attribute your ability to stay on the radar of industry critics big and small?
Marco: I am blessed first and foremost, not in some kinda I am divinely guided type of way but I am just blessed to be here being respected by these major publications after making if from what I’ve made it through! I am all about networking, I know these publications are not some entity that can’t be tapped into, they have writers that are humans just like me. It’s just about reaching out and waiting for something to pop. I now also have an amazing publicist that gets me a lot of great looks.
H: Memphis was once considered a hotbed for rap talent, though it has been a little while since your city produced a major star. How would you describe the local music scene right now, and how has it changed in recent years?
Marco: It depends on what you consider a major star, it’s been some great guys coming out of Memphis lately. IheartMemphis, with Hit the Quan has taken the world by storm with his dancem Young Dolph is increasingly popping up on urban radio with features from 2 Chainz, T.I, and Gucci Mane, and Yo Gotti hasn’t lost any steam in the last 10 years. He is responsible for the careers of Snottie Wild and Blac Youngsta. A lot of times Memphis artists get their city identity stolen by Atlanta because it’s a hotbed for Hip Hop right now and Memphis doesn’t have much of a music industry to compete. But the local scene in Memphis is strong right now with artists like Preauxx, Jon Waltz, Casher, Xavier Wulf, Hippy Soul, Zane Rigo and Tayy the Pro to just name a few. The industry has changed a lot here in Memphis because so many people move away to pursue their goals on larger level.
H: Let’s take it back to the beginning. When did you first start rapping, and when did you start to realize you could really do something with your talent?
Marco: Man, I have been making music for a while now. I haven’t always been making the best quality music; I was accustomed to recording on whatever was available. I have been making music for about 12 years now. I got started when my friends and me were in the cafeteria of Volletine Elementary in Memphis, Tennessee. We used to beat on the tables and make up raps on the spot. That transitioned to my friends and I recording music on the tape player that I stole from my dad’s room, and now I am making records on my album 12 years later. I realized I had the talent to make it happen early on.
H: Have you had a moment in your career where you’ve felt like you’ve ‘made it’ in any way? If so, what was it?
Marco: I don’t really have those moments because I haven’t made a million dollars yet (laughs). But seriously I do, when I wake up everyday and think back to where I used to be as a PERSON, not just an artist, I’ve made it. The fact that I can just sit up and respond to emails and do interviews and give talks about hip hop all are signs of making it to me. There are still a ways to go, but I am proud of what I’ve been able to do.
H: I’ve read quotes where you claim to make your music for everyone, and that you love to blend genres/styles whenever possible. Who is currently influencing your work?
Marco: Man I’ve been going back stepping away from contemporary music a bit, I’ve been listening to John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Frank, Harry Bellafonte and more. I want to be able to stretch a song like these amazing jazz artists, everything was an instrument, even their voices.
H: As much as we love your music, we’re also pretty taken by your concern for your local community. To what do you attribute your continued passion for seeing your city thrive?
Marco: Man, I am from this city. If I did like everyone else who goes from poor to the middle class and forget about all the people in the struggle then that defeats the purpose. I want to build the city to be better even when we are all gone. I can do my part through music for now.
H: Has giving back always been part of your music career?
Marco: It hasn’t always been apart of my career, but I can say, once I focused on more than groupies, and being in the club trying to get laid, my career changed for the better.
H: You were able to present a TED talk last year on how hiphop saved your life. Can you tell us a bit about that experience and what, if anything, has developed from it in the months since your appearance?
Marco: That experience was great! I was actually invited to do two Ted talks and both of them are things that I will have in my arsenal for a long time. I have gotten some major press from my first ted talk from The Source Magazine, to Soul Train. The Root even named me as one of the 17 unsung heroes of Black Lives Matter. Having two Ted talks under my belt is a great way to push my career forward outside of just making music.
H: Looking to the future, what goals do you have for both your music and your philanthropy?
Marco: For my music, my first goal is to get my debut album out, tour from the success of my EP, and then eventually get into European tours. For my philanthropy, if I can even call it that, I just want my platform to be large enough to help entire families pay for college, start a business, pay off loans, etc. I don’t want to give and increase the idea of poverty; I want to BREAK the idea of poverty.
H: Speaking to those goals, what are the biggest hurdles standing in your way?
Marco: The biggest hurdles standing in my way music wise is the local industry in Memphis, there is none! Especially for hip-hop artists, those artists that I named earlier are all either leaving Memphis or have left Memphis to build connects in LA and ATL, so in order to do anything very long term I need to find connections in other places and try to build everything I need from the ground up. And for the philanthropy, I am just not rich yet (laughs).
H: If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring musicians reading this now, what would you say?
Marco: Never give up! But don’t hopelessly dream and hope, you have to plan; you have to build your team. Most importantly you have read and study the game, there are so many books out there about copyrights, publishing, touring and everything else that indie artist need to learn about.
H: We wish you the best of luck in everything, Marco. Before we let you go, are there any final comments or plugs you would like to share?
Marco: Thank you so much for having me! This was a great interview; I love a publication that does their research. For everyone out there reading please follow me on all social media @KingofMarco, and visit my website at KingofMarco.com
