Marcel P. Black at Replay Lounge

Marcel P. Black is more than just a rapper.... Emcee. Activist. Writer. Spoken Word Artist. DJ. Promoter. Businessman. Youth Development Worker. Revolutionary. Father. Husband... As one of the leaders of the Baton Rouge Hip-Hop scene (hailing originally from Oklahoma), Black, 30 years old, is one of the few "conscious" voices left that's not afraid to use music as a conduit to empowerment. Black creates music that speaks to the everyday person going through the struggle. "I try to take serious socio-political content and deliver it in an everyday fashion over hard hitting production that the average brother on the corner can feel," says Black, "because these are the people I'm speaking too. I gotta run it to where they feel me." Black has independently released 6 projects since the summer of '10, and since then hit the stage as a featured act over 500 times, at venues in Denver, Memphis, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Jackson, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, & many others. "I stay on the road. I love to perform. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world," says Black. He also had 3 consecutive projects in 16 months times chart on the College Music Journal's Hip-Hop Top 40. He's shared stages with big name acts such as Nappy Roots, Mickey Factz, Mobb Deep, Run the Jewels, Slum Village, and was the only artist from the city of Baton Rouge selected to perform at the 2013 A3C festival in Atlanta. Black is no stranger to his community. The Hip-Hop activsist has spoken on college campuses as well as high schools, organized benefits for Aids Awareness organizations, mentored teenage boys, and ran a non profit Hip-Hop University. "One thing I refuse to be is a studio revolutionary. Just because I may drop jewels in the booth, doesn't mean there isn't real work to do in the streets. Together my music & my actions go hand in hand," says the Southern University graduate. Never glorifying negativity, Black's hard hitting, soulful, melodic tunes resonate to all different walks of life. He refuses to do anything artistically that doesn't reflect who he is as a man. "I try to make my music as honest as possible, because I don't know no other way," says Black. And that's the truth...