Marlon Craft | |
|---|---|
 Craft performing in Toronto, Ontario (2018) | |
| Background information | |
| Born | February 27, 1993 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Hell's Kitchen |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | marloncraft |
Marlon Craft is an American rapper and songwriter from Manhattan, New York. He released his debut studio album, Funhouse Mirror, in June 2019. He had also previously released numerous EPs and mixtapes.
Marlon Craft was born in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. His father is a jazz drummer and his mother is a producer for an Off-Broadway theater company. He grew up in Manhattan Plaza, a Mitchell-Lama residential complex in Hell's Kitchen. He attended The Beacon School, a selective college-preparatory high school also in Hell's Kitchen. He also played AAU basketball in the South Bronx. [1] After high school, Craft attended American University in Washington, D.C. where he designed his own major, Urban Education and Social Justice. [2]
After college, Craft moved back to Manhattan Plaza and began making freestyle videos and posting them to YouTube. [1] His first collection of songs came in the form of the March 2015 mixtape, Pieces. [3] That project featured a freestyle in which Craft rapped over the beat from "Shook Ones" by Mobb Deep. [4] He followed that with two EPs in 2016: So, What Are You Doing? [2] and he looked like nothing. [5] The latter project featured the single, "Workin'". [6] In March 2017, Craft released a short film that was also called he looked like nothing. [7] The month prior, he was featured in a cypher at Audiomack Studios with Radamiz and Angelo Mota. [8]
In August 2017, Craft released his second mixtape, The Tunnel's End, which featured the singles "The Feels" and "New York Shit" (featuring Radamiz). The album was briefly number 2 on the iTunes Hip-Hop chart behind Jay-Z's 4:44 . [9] He also continued releasing freestyles including one that mentioned every NBA team, another on Statik Selektah's Shade 45 radio show, [10] and one that mentioned every member of the 2016 and 2017 XXL Freshman classes. [11] In 2018, Craft opened for Dizzy Wright on his "Golden State of Mind Tour". [12] He also released a series of EPs entitled A Dollar in Quarters. 25c came out in February, [11] 50c in March, [13] and 75c in May. [14]
Later in 2018, Craft partnered with Same Plate Entertainment (a joint venture with Sony Music). [15] One of the first singles he released after signing to Same Plate was "NY Baby" featuring Bodega Bamz. [16] In November 2018, he was featured on the Masta Ace and Marco Polo album, A Breukelen Story, on the track "Wanna Be". [17] In 2019, Craft and his team formed an art collective, movement, and lifestyle brand called "OUR.S". The organization helped coordinate "WORKWEEK", a series of public events in March and April 2019 that highlighted various non-profit organizations. Craft released the single "Do The Work" in support of the WORKWEEK events. [18] [19]
In May 2019, Craft released another single, "Shallow", featuring Dizzy Wright. As part of OUR.S, fans could access the song two days before its wide release. [20] In June 2019, Craft released the single "Gang Shit". The song and its accompanying music video depicted Craft taking on three roles: a racist white police officer, a member of the Ku Klux Klan, and a black man serving prison time for an armed robbery. [21]
The song served as the lead single to his debut studio album, Funhouse Mirror, which was released later that month by Same Plate and Sony. The album featured guest appearances from Dizzy Wright, Nyck Caution, Ricky Motion, and Evan Crommett. [22] It reached number one on iTunes' Top Hip-Hop Albums chart the week it was released. [23] It also received praise from artists and activists like Killer Mike, T.I., Shaun King, and La La Anthony. [24] Shortly after the album's release, Craft sold out his first show headlining at SOB's in New York. The following month, he held a listening party at The Halal Guys food carts on 53rd Street in Manhattan. [1] In July 2019, he appeared on Sway in the Morning and performed a "5 Fingers of Death" freestyle. [25]
In 2020 Craft left his record deal with Same Plate Entertainment/Sony Music and went back fully independent, launching The Center - an exclusive online subscription community of supporters. For $7 a month, fans can directly fund the creation of Craft's content, and in return receive exclusive access in the forms of hidden songs, weekly Zoom sessions, and more. [26]
In early 2021, Craft announced that his second album, How We Intended would release in February. On January 19, a day before Joe Biden's inauguration as president, Craft released "State of the Union", a scathing rebuke of the state of affairs in America and in culture. On January 22, he appeared on The Beat with Ari Melber on MSNBC to break down the video and song with Ari Melber and Michael Steele. [27]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Funhouse Mirror |
|
| How We Intended |
|
| While We're Here |
|
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Pieces |
|
| The Tunnel's End |
|
| Homecourt Advantage, Vol. 1 |
|
| Homecourt Advantage, Vol. 2 |
|
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| so, what are you doing? |
|
| he looked like nothing |
|
| A Dollar in Quarters: 25c |
|
| A Dollar in Quarters: 50c |
|
| A Dollar in Quarters: 75c |
|
| Space |
|
| Space 2 |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Workin'" | 2016 | he looked like nothing |
| "The Feels" | 2017 | The Tunnel's End |
| "New York Shit" (featuring Radamiz) | ||
| "Friends" | 2018 | A Dollar in Quarters: 50c |
| "Ain't With Today" | A Dollar in Quarters: 75c | |
| "Gang Shit" | 2019 | Funhouse Mirror |
| "Shallow" (featuring Dizzy Wright) | ||
| "State of the Union" | 2021 | Homecourt Advantage, Vol. 1 |
| "Bluffin" [28] | ||
| "Julius Randle" |
LaRon Louis James, better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of East Coast hip hop group, the Diplomats. He is best known for his appearances on group cohort Cam'ron's 2002 singles "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma," which peaked at numbers four and three on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. His guest appearance on Chris Brown's 2005 single, "Run It!" peaked atop the chart for five weeks and received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As a lead artist, he is also known for his 2005 single "There It Go ," which peaked at number six on the chart and received platinum certification by the RIAA.
John David Jackson, better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition for his ability upon performing live on DJ Clue's Hot 97 radio show. Jackson then signed to Clue's record label Desert Storm Records, in a joint venture with Elektra Records. He rose to further prominence with his debut studio album Ghetto Fabolous (2001), which spawned the hit singles "Can't Deny It" and "Young'n ." Adopting a further commercially-oriented approach, his second album, Street Dreams (2003), was supported by the singles "Can't Let You Go" and "Into You" —both of which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Mario Sentell Giden Mims, known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper and music executive. In 1996, he released his debut album Youngsta's On a Come Up under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to release From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game (2000), Self-Explanatory (2001), Life (2003), Back 2 da Basics (2006), Live from the Kitchen (2012), I Am (2013), The Art of Hustle (2016), I Still Am (2017), Untrapped (2020), and CM10: Free Game (2022).
Ramone Johnson, better known by his stage name Cashis, is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was most notably featured on the Shady Records album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up with Eminem and the record label, and released The County Hound EP in 2007. The County Hound EP sold 6,700 copies in its first week and debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number 106. He's best known for appearing on Eminem's song, "You Don't Know", featuring 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks.
Michael Wayne Atha, better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper. Born in Gadsden, Alabama, and raised in Antioch, Tennessee, he embarked on his recording career in 2005, releasing four mixtapes to positive local reception. His fourth mixtape, Trunk Muzik (2010), earned him wider recognition and led him to sign a recording contract with Interscope Records. He re-worked the mixtape into his first major label release, Trunk Muzik 0-60 (2010).
Marcus Jamal Hopson, known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He is known for his use of white colored eye contacts in his music videos and performances.
Funk Volume was an American independent record label founded by American rapper Hopsin and Damien Ritter in 2007. The label was home to artists Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, SwizZz, and producers DJ Hoppa and Kato before its 2016 dissolution. It did so due to financial alterations, and following their feud, Hopsin decided to leave the label, which resulted in its signees following suit. The label was shut down soon after, although Hopsin and Ritter reconciled in 2021.
Carlos Coleman, better known by his stage name King Los or simply Los, is an American rapper from Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known for his affiliation with Puff Daddy, having frequently served as his ghostwriter and been signed to his label, Bad Boy Records from 2005 until 2008. Coleman re-signed to the label in February 2012, although he departed once more in March 2014. His debut studio album, God, Money, War (2015) was released through RCA Records and entered the Billboard 200; Puff Daddy executive produced the album.
La'Reonte Wright, known professionally as Dizzy Wright, is an American rapper and record producer.
American rapper Hopsin has released five studio albums, two mixtapes, 51 singles and 57 music videos. After signing with Ruthless Records in 2007, Hopsin released his debut studio album entitled, Gazing at the Moonlight, in October 2009. The album was a commercial failure, selling only 42 copies in its first week. Shortly before his departure from Ruthless, Hopsin formed a new label, Funk Volume, with Damien Ritter and released a mixtape with SwizZz entitled, Haywire, and his second studio album, Raw, in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The album spawned the singles: "Nocturnal Rainbows" and "Sag My Pants", with the latter single being certified gold by RIAA.
Jarren Giovanni Benton, is an American rapper from Decatur, Georgia. He signed with California rapper Hopsin's independent record label Funk Volume in 2012, and released his third mixtape, Freebasing with Kevin Bacon in June of that year. His debut studio album, My Grandma's Basement (2013) received positive critical reception and entered the Billboard 200. After the label shut down in 2016, Benton signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation two years later to release his fourth album, Yuck Fou (2018).
Justin Ritter, known professionally as SwizZz, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for significantly collaborating with childhood friend Hopsin, and being signed to their record label Funk Volume, which was founded by Hopsin himself. He has released various singles and released two mixtapes including Haywire with Hopsin, and Good Morning SwizZzle.
Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever is the fourth mixtape by American rapper Logic. It was released as a free online download by Visionary on May 7, 2013 and is the third installment in the Young Sinatra series, following Young Sinatra and Young Sinatra: Undeniable. The mixtape was downloaded over 100,000 times on DatPiff in less than a day and has garnered over 1,000,000 downloads on DatPiff since its release. This project was followed by Logic's fourth studio album YSIV , with the latter not being credited as a mixtape.
The Golden Age is the sixth official mixtape by American rapper Dizzy Wright. The mixtape was released on August 19, 2013, by independent record label Funk Volume for free and digital download, along with autographed hardcopies via the Funk Volume website. The mixtape featured guest appearances by Wyclef Jean, Hopsin, Joey Bada$$, Jarren Benton, SwizZz, Logic, Kid Ink and Honey Cocaine among others. Along with production from DJ Hoppa, Rikio, Kato, 6ix, and Cardo, among others. Due to its retail release, the mixtape debuted on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at number 39 becoming his highest charting project at the time.
Christian Walcott Webster, better known by his stage name Chris Webby, is an American rapper from Norwalk, Connecticut. Webster has released many mixtapes such as the DJ Drama-hosted Bars On Me (2012) and his EP There Goes the Neighborhood (2011), which peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200. He has worked with various artists such as Freeway, Mac Miller, Joell Ortiz, Big K.R.I.T., Method Man, Apathy, Prodigy, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Jarren Benton and Kid Ink. In 2013 he and his label, Homegrown Music, signed a deal with E1 Music. He then released Homegrown, another EP, in November 2012. Webster released his debut studio album Chemically Imbalanced on October 27, 2014.
Markel Ni'Jee Scott, better known by his stage name Bishop Nehru, is an American rapper and record producer from Nanuet, New York. He also directs and edits music videos.
Mark Anthony Battles is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Indianapolis, Indiana.
State of Mind is the second extended play by American rapper Dizzy Wright. It was released on April 15, 2014, by Funk Volume. The EP features production by 6ix, MLB, Roc & Mayne, Ron Hayden and Sledgren, along with a lone guest appearance by Rockie Fresh. It was supported by the single: "Everywhere I Go". Upon its release, the EP debuted at number 54 on the Billboard 200.
Radhames Rodriguez, better known by his stage name Radamiz, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is of Dominican descent. Radamiz is a part of the Brooklyn-based collective, Mogul Club. In 2013, he was declared as HOT 97's East Coast "Who's Next" artist and performed at Summer Jam on the festival stage later that year.
Every Bad Day Has Good News is the second mixtape by American rapper Radamiz. It was released on November 19, 2021, by Radamiz Is Limitless LLC. The album features guest appearances from Marlon Craft, Big E, Topaz Jones, Devin Tracy, Like, History, and Heaven Williams.
