Marcel P. Black #RapRecap #12 (4/10/19 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

HOME IS WHERE THE ANXIETY IS...

From 2010 to the end of 2013, I don't know how many shows I did in Baton Rouge, but I did alot. First I was going to every open mic possible, then when I started putting on shows, I was booking at least once a month. I was just as active in the city as a facilitator as a rapper, so if I wasn't performing, I was hosting. Oversaturating myself like a MF. 

Mid 2013, I started doing more shows with bigger names. Between March and August of that year I opened for acts such as Nappy Roots, Big Sant, SL Jones, Mickey Facts, Slum Village, Mobb Deep (R.I.P. Prodigy), and the most important one of them all, Run The Jewels. One day I'll tell that full story, but the important piece that's relevant here is that Killer Mike told me on our ride back to the hotel that I need to expand regionally, specifically expanding throughout the Gulf States. 

So I did. From there on out it was all about Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia, even up in the Mid-South in Tennessee for the next 3.5 years. Because I'd booked so many out of town acts I was able to call in favors in different scenes, and build my name in the region. I only came home to do bigger shows, in which I'd bring the bigger named homies down to BR to rock. I wasn't really performing with the local artists in BR much, because I didn't book it myself, or the bag wasn't right, I was passing. 

Not much has changed in those regards.

But those Hip-Hop Is Alive at the Spanish Moon where well attended, at first. It seems the bigger I got regionally and nationally, the less the local scene supported me. Now this also has alot to do with music venues, and Baton Rouge being segregated in terms of where fans go to watch shows. I make underground/conscious Hip-Hop, ironically my biggest fanbase in BR has always been white college-aged males. I created fanbase doing all those shows, killing stages at Spanish Moon, NorthGate Tavern aka The Library, and Chelseas. All of those venues are gone, forcing me to book places outside of the LSU area, where my fanbase doesn't follow me. Now I'm hoping all of these rappers who I give game/oppurtunities to will come out and support the OG (their words, not mine), but they don't. 

This gives me a level of anxiety I don't feel anywhere else in the country, because people in Baton Rouge see I travel all over getting paid to perform, but there's not alot of people pulling up when I come at home. This is for alot of different reasons, but it's not because they don't know what I have going on. Again that's whole nother convo. But the pressure of living up to the "legend of Marcel P. Black" weighs a bit on my psyche, when I come back home and get the feeling that some of the same people I empower are looking for a way to discredit me. 

All of this is going through my mind as I walk into the Magnolia Theater on Baton Rouge Community College's campus after returning back from a successful 3 day trip to Atlanta, Birmingham, and Memphis where I was treated like royalty. 

A MIXED BAG. OF EMOTIONS...

Donney Rose, one of my closest friends and a person who was the original person to give me a shot, is one of the best writers/poets/teaching artists/and poets in Baton Rouge. Period. Big dot. He was selected to be a Kennedy Fellow for the 2018-2019 season, and was this years first ever Artist In Residence for BRCC's Spring Arts Fest. When he called me to do it, it was a no brainer. When he told me I was gonna be the first ever Hip-Hop act this festival has ever booked. I was honored. When he told me bout how big the bag was, I started Milly Rockin'. I'm often on the road, and I never get to do shows at home where the bag is right, and be home with my wife by bed time in the same night. AND I only live like 5 minutes away from campus. So I'm super hype about it. 

I walk in to the venue and see Donney runnin it with the host for the night, comedian Tony King Is Funny. Sole Lab BR done broke diet to go get some Canes around the corner, so I just set up my merch, and chill till he comes back.

LET'S DO THIS

I started my career promoting shows with Donney in the last third of his event promotion career via his company Soul By Demand. Donney taught me how to book, promote, host, and manage shows. I've been real good friends and business partners with him for nearly 15 years, so I can read his emotions. He's kinda disappointed at the lack of turnout for a FREE show on a college campus with 5 of the most talented artists in the top of their field in Baton Rouge. He mentions something to me that I won't repeat, but all the excitement I had for the show has now turned to anxiety and self doubt.

If you've been reading my blogs this year, you know this has been a theme for me. Most rappers lie like they stay A-1 all the time, but I'ma keep it one thou-wow, as the kids say. 

Solelab gets back, I give him the music, shortly after the show starts.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

The theature seats 400 people, there's maybe 30 there. Most of the people there are there with their professors for a class assignment. My wife and kids walk in as Tony is doing a short set before the first act goes up, and Tony makes a joke about them being late, not knowing she's my wife. My country ass East Side of Ardmore ass wife loudly says her name when Tony asks her, and she loudly says she's "The Wife Of Marcel P. Black," like I was some dignitary lol. IDK if Tony just respects me that much, or if he didn't have time, but he laughed it off and kept it moving, but my wife had time. 

You can take a nigga outta Ardmore, but you can't take the Ardmore out of an Ardmore nigga.

Brittany Marshall, one of the top youth poets in the state goes up, and she kills it. I asked Donney was it a clean show, he said no. But since I knew my kids were gonna be there, I opted to keep my set clean. Well Brittany has no kids, and don't care about kicking her ballistics in the most beautifully profane way possible. Both my kids had ears muffs on.

They'll live.

Next is Donney, who runs through several poems, getting alot of applause and snaps, because he's that god damned good. We're a little ahead of schedule, so now Tony does another set, now it's my time.

FIGHTING FOR MY RESPECK

Now it's my turn. Oh yeah, even though it's not a clean show, Donney asked that I don't do "Hallelujah," better known as "Fuck Donald Trump." He was responsible for getting me this large bag, and I ain't tryinna fumble shit, so I agreed not to do it. Plus my kids were in the crowd. But I decided to do the Blackest songs I had to make up for it. Also, the auditorium is perfect for a play or a jazz concert, but not for a Hip-Hop show. There were no monitors on stage, and no soundman, so all the music was echoing off the wall with a delay, but the mics were mad loud. I was afraid I was gonna sound off beat to the crowd because I'm hearing the music late. So as I got into "PPL 1st" I had to watch my wife nod her head up and down like a metronome to keep time. I truly didn't know if I was on beat or not till it came to the call & response, which the crowd surprisingly engaged me in. 

Now that some of the nerves were out, I go into "Live My Love," one of my favorite records ever, but the bass on my show mix is super duper big, so big that it drowns out the drums during the verse if you don't have a soundman who's working the boards. Once again I depend on my wife and the call & response during the hook to gauge if I'm on time or not. The crowd, who are mostly students there for a class (not necessarily Hip-Hop heads) are being really nice to me. And I'm appreciative. After all, I'm a 6'4 400 lbs Black guy wearing all Polo rapping about Black Empowerment on a Wednesday night during their normal class time. 

Funny right?

I explain "Henry Clay," and THIS is the song that gets everyone involved, surprisngly. There were some older ladies in the crowd, white and Black, who recognized the KRS One sample and were rocking with me. All the call & responses went well, hands were in the air. Now I feel like I'm giving a li'l work. "FreeBLKPPL" comes on, and for the first time I feel like the walls are down between this casual crowd of students and my Black ass raps. And it hit different when you rap about the fear of dying young so you can't be there for your family, and you're family is in the room. I finally touched their souls all the way, it just took me the 4th out of 5 songs to do it.

Last is "Cry Freedom." Now we're cooking with grease. I feel good now, muscle memory is taking over, the crowd has successfully been converted. I run through the first verse and hook with ease, heading into the home stretch on the last verse of the night....

Then my motherfucking mic cuts off.

But I'm a pro. I really do this. Like Brutus.

Sole Lab tries to fix it, and can't so he turns the music down low eventually off all the way, as I power through and project my voice as loud as I can from the depths of my soul. Members of the audience start clapping for me, applauding my performance, how I didn't stop, just kept rapping, determined to give folk this work. Now it's time for the last hook, and I have the crowd giving me a handclap, saying "Freedom" as I ask them what we want, need, and fight for. I finish my set to applause from the audience, making me feel like I am indeed, that nigga. Show over.

RATINGS:

Venue: 5/5. I mean it's a theater on a nice ass college campus.

Crowd: 3/5. They didn't know who I was, and didn't care. I can say whatever fan I gained I earned the old fashioned way. Taking off points for lack of turnout tho.

Merch: 3/5. I didn't sell much, maybe 5 items. The people who did shop were cool tho.

Sound: 2/5. Y'all gotta get stage monitors mane. Period.

Next Show: 4/19/19 in Lafayette, Louisiana

Marcel P. Black "Hallelujah" Music Video

*TW: images of white supremacist violence, Charlottesville VA, 2017

When I dropped the project "Seven" (you can stream/buy it here) back in September of 2017, "Hallelujah" was NOT the single. But when I started performing it, I didn't have the show track with a hook on it, so I had to come up with a call and response hook that would keep the crowd entertained. I came up with a chant that says "F*ck Donald Trump," and crowds all over the country loved it. I didn't release any videos for this project, my focus was just hitting the road, gaining fans the old fashioned way.

In 2018, when I had the opportunity to route a tour date in Charlottesville, Virginia, I knew I had to shoot the video there. Shoot a video for an anti-Trump song in the place where racist white folks where burning tiki torches? Absolutely. I was introduced to Alex C. Brown aka Wicked Weed via Fellow Man from Rugged Arts, and we created something that's powerful. 

Click to watch the video here, or watch below.

Stream/Buy "Hallelujah" here.

#BlackThoughtsRadio Episode #10 "4 Attitudes That Hold Rappers Back" by Marcel P. Black (VLOG/Podcast)

This edition of #BlackThoughtsRadio, I break down four attitudes attitudes I always hear from rappers that hold them back from reaching their full potential.

1. The "If I Were In A Bigger City" Attitude

2. The "I Gotta Make What People Wanna Hear" Attitude

3. The "I Need To Impress Other Rappers" Attitude

4. The "There Only Can Be One" Attitude

You can watch the VLOG here.

You can also stream the podcast here.

Be sure to go to marcelpblack.bandcamp.com and Stream/Buy my latest EP "4Tha CLTR" produced by M Slago.

marcelpblack.com

Twitter: @marcelpblack

Facebook: Marcel P. Black

Instagram: @marcelpblack

Marcel P. Black #RapRecap #11 (4/6/19 in Memphis, Tennessee)

 MY OTHER SECOND HOME

I don't plan on this blog being very long, but I plan on being brutally honest.

My best friend is from Memphis, Tennessee. Adarryl White is the Godfather of my first born child Aamilah. He was my best man, and the only friend to fly to Vegas when me and Jessyca got married nearly 9 years ago. He's literally wiped tears from my eyes when I was wild drunk and in full 808 & Heartbreaks mode while my then girlfriend and I split up. He resucitated me in New Orleans after I nearly passed out after drinking four Hand Grenades BEFORE I went into a club on Bourban during Essence in 2008. Before I was a father or husband, Hurricane Gustav hit, and I evacuated with him to Hernanado, Mississippi where his parents had built a house 20 mins south of where he grew up in the Whitehaven neighborhood in Memphis. That was August of 2009. We went to mad strip clubs, I watched a lot of Tyler Perry movies and plays, and I ate so much pork it made be sick. Not because it was nasty, but I just ate too much of that good ol' Memphis BBQ. 

Once I became a touring artist and had connects in Memphis, his mother told me I bet not get no more hotels, that I can stay at her crib anytime I come up. I have happily been obliging her, staying in her humoungous house for nearly 6 years. She always welcomes me and whomever I bring with me, often cooking for us, and even buying food for us if she doesn't have time to cook. 

This is my family. 

Recently, Adarry's father passed, and I'm heartbroken. I won't say to much about it here, but I just want Mrs. Alicia, Armon, and Adaryll to know to I love them, as well as Mr. Larry, and I pray that they that they find comfort in these trying times. I know he's in a better place smiling down on the great men he's raised in Armon and Adarryl, two brothers who treat me like a third sibling, I will forever love them all for that.

*wipes tear

Ok, back to the rap stuff. I have a lot of rap friends that I rock with in Memphis, and I bring about at least 10 Memphis artists to BR every year. If it ain't #FadeTheFlowSundays, I help them get booked at the Parlor for Showcase Sundays with ThaAntidote.com, in hopes of opening up the pipline from the 225 to the 601, I've also had a few FTFS alumni go up to Memphis to do shows. Because of this I always get love when I pull up. All of the shows I do there are dope, as Memphis has an incredible Hip-Hop scene with emcees rocking from the Memphis trap sound to the more traditional boom bap sound. Memphis is so home like to me because of friends and family up there, that I probably come up there too much. I say this, because my last few shows that I've booked up there haven't been well attended. More on that later.

"I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN..."- AL GREEN

One thing I'm terrible about is looking at the weather when I make travel plans. I didn't know it was gonna rain all the way from Baton Rouge to Atlanta, and didn't know there was a damn tornado brewing in Memphis the night of the show. I pull up to the venue and see my guy Faharrah, a hustlin' ass Memphis nigga with a heart and neck full of gold, always supporting Black people in anyway possible. Buddy even had on the Big Baller Brand shoes. Like fareal fareal only wear Black owned brands. He and I have partnered doing events together since the fall of 2017, and he says this will be his last show because he's going on to bigger and better things. Full disclosure, I'm not even sure what Faharrah does honestly, but he always does for his people, and most importanly does good by me, so NDC lol. 

On top of the tornado coming, the homie Jay Daskreet, a North Mississippi emcee who operates within the Memphop scene has a big show, so I'm not expecting a huge turnout to be honest. Around 10:00 pm the rain is so bad it starts flooding into the venue. 

Bruhhhh. 

This is gonna be one of those nights that we just need to get over with. There's bout 20 ppl in the building, and we're prolly not getting anymore with this rain and our potna having a packed house across town.

LET'S START THE SHOW

A few weeks before the show, Faharrah calls me and tells me that Fuller Bad, the Michael Jackson of Memphis Rap, just came home from a 3 year joce, and he wanted to get back on stage. Without question, I said yes. I've been on a few bills with Fuller, and he is super entertaining. Noone knew he was performing, so when Faharrah called him up, everyone was excited. Fuller is a Memphis rap legend, and an all around real ass nigga who put time in with the Prophet Posse, predating all things Hypnotize Minds/Three 6 Mafia related. He is called the "Michael Jackson of Memphis Rap" tho, because he dances like MJ mixed with Crunchy Black, and it's a fucking sight to behold. Fuller is the ONLY rapper I've ever had on one of my shows knowing he was gonna rap over vocals, and not care. Because he dances to much, and it's so lit, you just gotta let Fuller cook. He got the crowd loosened up, and that's all I asked for.

Next up was The Monastery. Ya'll remember how I told ya'll in the last blog about the need to be sober on the road so they are professional? They take everything I say to heart, and they almost looked too uptight, to the point I almost gave em a shot myself lol. I really wanted them to benefit the most from the show since it was their first time, and even though where wasnt a large crowd, I knew there would be some tastemakers in the building whom I felt would book them in the future. Those nerves subsided quickly once Carlos grabbed the mic, and once they got comfortable, they killed that shit. Even had Faharrah, who is allegedly retired from booking shows in Memphis, is talking about bringing them back already.

Now it's time for the brother Pyu, a Memphop vet who I've played with several times with me coming up so often. Pyu did 3 dope ass songs, the last song "Black Nazi" had the beat cut out, and he RIPPED that bih like nothing happened at all. Looking forward to hearing the new project.

Who better?

Now it's my time. For some reason I think I'm starting with "PPL First," but instead it's "#CultureOverEverything." It was nowhere near as sharp as I wanted it to be. This being the last night of a three show run was taking it's toll on my body, and my voice. And like a mane, sometimes it's hard to get up for a small crowd, but I have so many friends and die hard supporters in Memphis, I'm determined to give the best show with all I have left. I make sure I shake it back for "Principles And Standards" and I get a boost out of watching Duke & Jason Da Hater react to the record. Next was "Henry Clay" that goes on smooth af. 

SOUTHERN CONSCIOUS BIGGIE SMALLS

Once again, it's a pleasure to perform my more "southern sounding" songs in the south. Memphis especially, because it's Black af. As a Black ass southerner, they get me without me having to make people understand like I feel like I have to do when I rap in front of an all white crowd, or somewhere that I have to break thru the boom bap barrier. Or anywhere outside the south. They really fucked with the "Southern Conscious Biggie Smalls" line, made me feel like I was on one.

Now we get into the political/church segment of the show. "Hallelujah" is another song I love performing in home cities with all Black southern crowds, because I don't have to worry if I'm gonna have to fight some white folks after the show for dissing Trump, or saying "crackers" in both verses. They know the song, we go up. "FreeBLKPPL comes on, I take a seat on the stool, not becaue I'm tired, but becaue I just wanted to do something different. I love the way the people act when the beat drops. I make a smooth transition into "Cry Freedom" and KP soul sings his ass off. Good set, we pulled through.

After me was the Iron Mic Coalition, a group of dope ass emcees, DJ's, & producers who've been holding it down in the Memphop scene for at least 20 years. These are those veteran OG's I was telling ya'll about that every community needs. The guys who have done & seen it all, support and lend great advice to the youngins', and are still able to whip ass on the stage. Only 3 of the IDK how many members are there for this show, but they kick ass with several different, styles, flows & flavors. 

Oh yeah, before they went on, the DJ played the original "Triggerman" record, and they gangsta walked for us. It was so dope.

We break down our merch, break bread, then head to Huey's with the crew for food and drinks. Next, back to Hernanado, so we can get a few winks of sleep before heading back to Baton Rouge.

My silly ass erased all my footage from the show, but luckilly Faharrah did a whole recap on his youtube, which you can watch here. Good trip. Regardless of the turnout, home is still home, and I will be back, often.

RATINGS:

Venue: 4.5. I love House of M'Tenzi. 

Crowd: 3.5/5. Crowd was live as hell, but small. Not the people who did pull up's fault, however I have alot of homies in Memphis that I was kinda dissapointed I didn't see them. It is what it is though.

Merch: 4/5. They shopped, so no real complaints. I really wanted The Monastery to shine, and they did in terms of sales as well as on stage. Go 205.

Sound: 4/5. Sound was a bit loud at what point, but it evened out.

Next Show: 4/19/19 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Marcel P. Black #RapRecap #11 (4/5/19 in Birmingham, Alabama)

HOME IS WHERE THE LOVE IS...

I have a list of what I call "Home Cities." Places where I have a dope following, where I have a lot of rapper friends. Places I know where to find the dope tennis shoes, eat the delicious food, places where I feel comfortable enough kicking it without needing a local to take me around. Places like Pensacola, Flordia, Mobile, Alabama, Memphis, Tennessee, and my always and forever second home Jackson, Mississippi places where you may see MPB outchea dolo, moving around like I'm a local. That's how comfortable I be. Places like Chicago, St. Louis, Miami, even ATL, not so much. I don't check in with no street niggas, but I do call my rappers homies to see what the temperature is, and if they say go to the hotel, that's what I do. If they say don't go nowhere without me, I stay my Black ass in the room. 

I may be big, Black, & country, but I'm not dumb.

Honestly, at this point I'm sober, so I'm not really drinking like talking bout, and most of the time I'm too exausted after hours of driving, riding, or flying, and I just wanna do like David and Goliath down (corny dad joke I got from my Pops, and I say it to my kids now and they think it's hilarious, so I'ma keep saying it.) Extra curricular activities on the road such as drinking and partying after you've been traveling all day, eating bad food, etc. not only have an affect on your physical & mental health, but it hits your pockets. And being able to come home making profit from my music is the one of the main reasons my wife don't trip and allows me to go on the road so much. If I wasn't getting no money I wouldn't be on the road. And I'm a married man with kids, so I'm really not our here tryinna be into no shit that can get my ass side tracked then clapped from close feet like Hov say.

With that said, I enjoy strip clubs.

And the lastest edition to my home cities list, and prolly the only city I've never had a bad show in that I've performed in at least 4 times is BHam. Their scene is dope because they have some of the best up & coming artists that I've seen in my travels in their community, and they are young but still fuck with Hip-Hop. And they have what every good scene needs, a dope mixture of young up & coming talent, and OG's who've been there and done that that's active in the scene locally, providing advice & opportunities to the young boys and girls doing music related ventures. So even though the average age in the crowd is like 25, they are still Hip-Hop enuff to respect and support an old head conscious rapper like myself. And I always get crazy love there. 

And Birmingham has my favorite strip club of all of the cities I travel too called The Palace, and my favorite dancer who will remain nameless (for no other reason than the fact that we're real cool and I respect her as a human being). Yes, my wife knows I go to strip clubs, and has even been with me to a few both on the road and locally. More on all of this later.

THAT 2 FOR 1 YEAH...

Mark drives, KP rides shotgun, and I sleep in Amari's seat all the way from ATL to BHam, bout a 2.5 hour drive. I pull up to my guy YouGene Write's crib, go put my bags down, chill for a few hours before the show. Gene is one of the realest niggas I've ever met in any city. We became brothers the first time we really built, not only because he's an incredible artist, but because of his love & passion for building a music industry empire in Birmingham, and putting on for Black people in the city. Last year when I was telling him he's welcome to come rock in BR anytime, this mane told me, "I'm not doing any shows in '19, I'm taking the year off to build my company. Somebody gotta put us in the position to where can get these bags."

I damn near cried. 

Gene has this dope ass event called Sankofa Suites where he has artists from the region come and discuss their art in front of an audience, on some Ted Talk/Q&A type format. It's incredible. Well due to scheduling availabities, it just so happened that he had to book his event the same day as ours. Being the real nigga he is, he reached out to Carlos and they decided to sell 2 for 1 presale tix. For $15, you can come to both shows. Lit. Gene heads out to his show, I go lie down for a few, get ready to go rap.

EVERYBODY EATS

We get to the venue a little early to set up. The DJ is there as well as Paco and the Monastery's manager. Also, my Ju li'l bro Dolla Black is there with his wife. We all exchange greetings, then Carlos comes in. Then, my belly reminds me I hadn't eaten since like 11 am, and it's nearly 8 PM. Ya'll, diabetic hunger is real. It really hit different. Mouth be dry, stomach be grumbling, and you feel kinda tired. So I ask Mark & KP if they hungry, they like "hell yeah." Carlos' and his manager hear me saying we hungry, and they tell me there's a Mickey D's around the corner. They tell me their order, and send me the bread for it on the Cash App. We go get the food, and eat in the car, bc I ain't want niggas to see me beasting Ray Kroc's gourmet delicacies before I rap about how God is Black and Trump is the devil. After I beast the food out, I bring Los and the manager their food, and we chill as people began to trickle in. 

You can tell when the other event let out, becuase the room got full real quick. It's about an 85 cap room, and we're about half full at this point, so I signal Los to get the show started. I told ya'll about Dolla Black in the last #CultureOverEverything Baton Rouge show. He's super dope, and prolly gave one of the best performances I've seen him give on a road show. This was his first show in Birmingham, and he rocked out like his life depended on it. He made fans with mixtures of his deep ass Mississippi ass country ass bravado, as well as introspective music that everyone felt. He ended his set by playing his new single "Money," which is a fucking bop, and while it played he walked around and hugged/dapped every person in the crowd, like a true politician. And man did it work. People came to his table, bought CD's & wristbands, took business cards. Smart man.

 THE TIME IS NOW

Being a headliner doesn't mean you always go last, it means your name is billed bigger/differently than everyone else. It may mean you have a longer performance set than others. K.L.U.B. Monsta was supposed to go next, but one of the group members hadn't made it yet. Carlos and I both agreed I go now while the crowd was almost at capacity. I go up to the stage, and try to get everyone's attention by cold opening with that acapella I told ya'll I need to publish, but since people are still filing in from the other show, I fail. Carlos small ass then gets on stage and damn near curses everyone out for not paying attention, and then does a toast. Now it's lit.

I kick the acapella again, which does what it's designed to do again, let niggas know how I'm coming. I go into "Bad Man" and it goes very well. I take off my Polo Camo button down, and go into "Black God Fresh" which went over very well. This is why I love being in the south, they get shit like this naturally. All the verses and hooks go well, the crowd is rocking with me. This will be the first official single for the album, and I'm very excited on what the song has the potential to do for me, ESPECIALLY when I release the version featuring *** ****.

I tell the crowd It's time for the "back pack portion" of the night, and get into "Principles And Standards." This song will go down as one of my best ever records, because as soon as the beat drops, people began to do that Hip-Hop head nod that all heads do when they hear a "joint." While I'm rapping, my country ass feet keep getting caught on a rug, so mid verse, I pick that bitch up and toss it to the side, never missed a bar, and the crowd was amused. I do the "real emcees don't rap over vocals" call and response, it works. At the end I say, "I'm the underground bitch mane... Wait a minute!!!!" 

Yikes. 

The crowd laughs, and I say, "No, I'm the underground king, bitch I never been local!!! Never been no underground bitch. Let's use the Men In Black thing to erase that, it never happened."

The crowd laughs with me. Safe....

Now it's time for "Henry Clay," Which is when I really feel like I'm in the bag. The whole crowd is goin' up, and responding to everything in terms of call & response and crowd participation. Since I say "fuck the police" on this song, I always try to put it next to "Hallelujah," aka "Fuck Donald Trump." By this time, all the being uncomfortable with me rapping aggressive conscious raps is no longer a factor, and the crowd is fully loosened up.

I didn't have a mic stand, so I didn't have anything to center the crowd like I normally do. Thank God I'm in the best rap shape of my career, because I was moving around a lot since I didn't know what to do. It worked very well, to the point the whole venue was screaming "FUCK DONALD TRUMP" to the top of their lungs. Next up is "FreeBLKPPL" but I didn't wanna run the risk of bringing the crowd back down to far before I go into the last song, so I skip it and call up KP Soul for "Cry Freedom." I make sure I'm extra dramatic to sell it for the audience, and they bought it. 

All of it. 

After I finish, I pick up my 'Lo camo shirt, and head to my table soaking wet, and people shop with me like a mf. Birmingham is one of the few places in the country that I've never had a bad show. Well there was that one time, but nah that don't count lol. Shows are always well attended, the bag is always there, I always make a good connection with the audience, and they always shop with me. And I'm so my old ass figured out how to use Cash App, because that's the only way the young people shop nowadays. 

WTF?

I didn't know much about K.L.U.B. Monsta, but mane was I pleasantly surprised. Them niggas is dope af. Only one guy came to soundcheck, so I thought it was a solo artist, till they got on stage 3 deep. I'm so glad I went before, because even the best performer knows it's extremely hard performing after a full group that's amazingly talented. Straight up country rap tunes turnup Hip-Hop with social commentary so you know I was in heaven. So glad they agreed to do the show.

Closing it out was The Monastery, and mane was they extra lit. Since I've done shows with them both in BR & in BHam, I see how they tend to get mad lit when they feel comfortable. I even had a talk with Los before they went to Nebraska about the importance of staying sharp, proffessional, and punctual, and how sobriety, or keeping the turnup to a mininum only helps that. Can't cut up like you do on the road at home. Well these niggas was at home, and mane was they cuttin up lol. They are the home town heroes at this point, and the crowd rocked with them accoridingly. 

Now here's where it gets tricky. Show is over, I'm done selling merch, and now I'm getting excited thinking about how I'm gonna divide the money I've made on the road so far with tonights merch sales and my bread from the door, and how much of that I'm gonna take to the booty club. Well, you remember how people had two for one tix? It seems alot of people said they did, but didn't. Because the count of bodies through the door and what I was given ain't add up. Normally I would let it slide, but this time, I need me me. After a really good talk with my guys and the owner of the venue, we came to a fair aggreement, and I was made whole via Cash App. 

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

When I did Birmingham for Secret Stages summer '17, we went to The Palace afterwards, and had a blast. It was a Friday night, it was lit af, and we cut all the way up. So much that we have a IG group chat called The Palace Mafia. We share nostalgic posts about that great night, and update each other when our favorite dancers from that club make "entertaining posts." We went back the next Saturday night, and it was wack. The dancers told us to only come on Fridays, and since then, the ONLY time I've booked shows in Birmingham was on Fridays, to make sure we catch The Palace when it's on tilt. 

Yup, Birmingham is officially a home city.

After the show I take one soaked Polo Bear shirt off for a fresh one I keep in the whip for situations like this, go get some water & chips so I don't sweat to much to the point of cramping before we head to The Palace.  It was packed, I see my homegirl, we have a real good conversation, I tip, Mark & Keith tip, we dip. No I'm not finna give ya'll no pay to play bout what I did at the strip club, not because my wife doesn't know, because she does, it's just some shit nigga shouldn't run his mouth bout. If you were there you know what I mean. We leave, go to the Purple Onion for food, then head back to Gene's house to crash. We gotta drive to Memphis tomorrow.

RATINGS:

Venue: 4/5. Dope DIY venue, and even though the door & the dollars didn't add up, I'd still play there again. In my heart of hearts I don't think it was the promoters or venues fault, I think it was niggas tryinna get in for free that did us in.

Crowd: 4.5/5. Taking half a point off for them niggas talking as I began. But they shook back and showed me all the love once Los chastized em lol.

Merch: 5/5. Them youngin's lit my Cash App up. No complaints at all.

Sound: 4/5. Only thing that coulda been better woulda been floor monitors for the artists. Other than that, it was pumping.

Next Show: 4/6/19 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Marcel P. Black's #RapRecap #11 (4.4.19 in Atlanta, Georgia)

ATL HOE!!!!

My first ever show in Atlanta was arguably the best Hip-Hop night at my life.

In March of 2013, my single "Trap Hop" dropped, and took off immediately. It became an overnight success, landing on the A3C Mixtape, and it was a great look for me. The "Trap Hop" EP was a mixture of my Black ass conscious raps and J-Filly's trap beats. Niggas was ahead of the curve like a mf. From the mixtape came the A3C Festival invite, which was my biggest look ever at the time as an artist. As a student of ATLien Hip-Hop, this meant so much to me, I almost couldn't believe it was real. So when October 2nd came, I gave what I feel is the best performance of my life on KevinNottingham.com's stage (please come back mane...) and it was epic. Mane this was the return show for Cannibal Ox bruh!!!! 

Long story short, I killed my set too the point I ended it tears to a crowd who were cheering for me at the top of their lungs. This fat country boy from Ardmore had made it to ATL, & gave work, That night, after my set. Kevin Nottingham himself said I had the best set of the night on his stage, and low key said he'd be interested in putting out a project with me on his new Hipnott Records label. 

It never happened, thassa whole nother story tho. I fumbled like a mf.

I was also treated to dinner by Select-O-Hits the next day, offered a distro deal if put a label together.

Never happened, well, just because it didn't happen.

That was my first time doing a show in Atlanta, the first hit of dope, and I've been chasing that Georgia Peach high eversince. The next few shows I did out there where not well attended. One time, outside a venue for a show I was headlining, I saw a crackhead try to return some crack to a dope boy like he had a reciept for it. He was in mid swig from a tall boy when the trap nigga punched him clean in his shit, and put his ass to sleep. The can of beer burst upon impact of the ATL summer soaked concrete, and all his crackhead friends cackeled as this DG Yola lookin' ass nigga told buddy, "Mih me wih dah fu shit, ol' bitchah niggah," and proceeded to step over him like Bubbachuck did Lebron's favorite light skinned coach after he crossed him and hit a 3 in his face during game one of finals June of '01. 

Ask Alfred if you think I'm lying.

The last time I went to A3C in '16, I had both my sets get canceled on me, and my merch bag got stolen. Then when I went in '17, me and the homie Ghost Dog almost had to fight our way out of a P. Stone Bloods infested pay to play/ over vocals rap showcase I ended up performing at, after I guy I went to college with claimed he had a show for me booked in ATL, but it ended up being in Jonesboro, Ga, and was basically some bullshit.

So as much as I love Atlanta, I kind said I wasn't doing anymore shows there. 'Till I met J-Coop and Last Name Good aka Paid In Amerikka. I brought them to Fade The Flow in '17, they in turn brought me to their showcase "Elevatorz" in March of '18. I had such a good time, I asked to come back this spring. They obliged. Even let me call it "#CultureOverEveryThing ATL."

EVERYBODY EATS...

At the end of '18, I did a #CultureOverEverything Baton Rouge, show, which featured my favorite indie group The Monastery from Birmingham, Alabama, and my favorite indie rapper D. Horton from Columbus, Mississippi, now living in Atlanta. Our show was so dope, I told them, let's do a quick tour run together in '19. We ain't gotta live in the same city to rock shows together on the road. So when it was time for me to start routing to promote "4Tha CLTR," I figured I could run with my guys for these 3 shows. I need people that's gonna make me step up my game, and these niggas are the truth. It's lit. Everybody eats. Buffet style.

The night before I leave to go to ATL for the show, I stay up mad late tryinna make sho the crib scraight for wife & kids since I know I'm finna be gone for a few days. I fall a sleep at 4 am, up at 7:00 am to get the kids ready to drop at school for 8:00 am. KP Soul arrives at my house at 8:45 am, I pick up Mark Dub at 9:15 am, I'm damn near driving with my eyes closed by the time I get to Mandeville at 10 am. I pull over and let Dub drive. I sit in Amari's seat in the #RapDadMinivan and go scr8 to sleep.

We get to I Can't Remember Where TF We Were, Alabama, and niggas is hungry. Out the corner out my eye I see a Shoney's.

In 2019 nigga. 

We go in, and the lunch buffet is $5.99 plus tax.

Nigga...

Mf's even had early 90's buffest prices. We ate, I got back in The Cartoon's seat, and went back to sleep. 

LATE ARRIVALS, EARLY DEPARTURES

Doors open at 8 pm, we pull up to our hotel in ColliPark at 7:45 pm, late atf.  I text Good to tell him we were running late, and he informs me we have time, because No Suh Foster, an incredible emcee from Mobile, and 1/3 of a dope Hip-Hop crew BaseHead Jazz's Pop's just passed away, so they weren't coming.

I love my Pop's so much, I can't even imagine. I haven't been able to speak to No Suh directly, but I did send my love & condolences through mutual friends, and I wish nothing but the best for him and his family as they navigate these tough times.

SO YOU GOT JOKES...?

So now I'm kinda in a strange mood, but the show must go on. I get to the venue, set up the merch table. My li'l bro Ronny My, aka Comedian Ronny Myers, is someone I used to take on the road and mentor with this rap shit in BR before he moved to Atlanta, switching from emceeing/producing to comedy. He's making great moves in ATL, and I'm really proud of him. Ronny is a natrually funny guy, prolly one of the most charasmatic ugly niggas you gonna ever meet. He knows that lol. Cool as mf and a pleasure to be around. When I booked the show it only made sense I get him to host.

No cap, the crowd was kinda light. Ronny makes a joke about it, and I'm like come on bruh, shit lol. My bro Big Sant Bitch Motherfuckin' OG pulls up, and we get to runnin' it, till the show starts.

This is the Monastery's first real show in ATL, and I'm happy to be able to share my platform with them. These dudes are super fucking talented, and they kill. You're gonna hear me talk about them alot, because I love them as good young men and as rappers, but I really believe in them, and if I ever get a bag I'm signging them off rip, if they haven't already made it big enough to sign me. 

The hometown hero's Paid In Amerikkka rock new records, which I love, from their most recently releases, and they body shit as well. I'm type drove on the slick they ain't do "Ain't Talk Bout Nothin" So I can buck to the "shutcho ass up, shutcho ass up, shutcho ass up, shutcho bitch ass up" chants in the background of the hook. However, everything they did was dope, the stage is nice & ready for me, I'm next.

NO GAMES PLAYED.

I come out & kick my intro "daddy sang gospel" acapella at the mic. I need to name that bih, register, so I can get me some BMI Live performance royalties, as much as I do it. Hmmmm....

My bad. U see how ADHD do ya?

Where was I? Yeah, I get a few ooh's & ahhh's after a couple of lines, so I know it's finna be lit. I tell DJ Fye Me Up to run that "Bad Man" and the call & response goes as expected. I keep it southern with "Live My Love" & "Black God Fresh," the latter being a song that's gonna be real big for me once the album campaign begins. I then dig into my backpack and pull out "Principles & Standards," and they rock with it, especially the "real emcees don't rap over vocals" chant at the end of the song. At the end of the call I & response, I say "underground kang bitch, don't ever call me local," and Ronny yell's out, "That needs to be on a shirt!!!"

Duly noted. 

I then dig further in my back pack and pull out "Henry Clay." My bro Quanstar and the homie J Bizness came thru to support too, and I can see they really appreciated the KRS sample on the beat. Next I get into "Seven" with "Hallelujah" & "#FreeBLKPPL," and both of them go very well. Even though Atlanta is the epicenter of mainstream/commercial/pop rap, it's still Black af, and they appreciate all the trashing of Trump, so both songs went off. I bring KP Soul up to the stage and we end up in church on "Cry Freedom."

Dave closes the night out, and mane is that MF cold. I sell some merch, breakdown the table, preach to Paco for a second outside, go by Cookout, and head to the room. Oh yeah, they ain't got no more towels, so we go on a dummy mission to Walmart, only to find out the were closed. 

Bruh....

Head back to the room, sleep, get up & get ready to go to the next city. 

Yeah, we coulda went to the booty club, but niggas was tired. Plus my favorite strip club/favorite dancer is in Birmingham anyways, let's save these ones. Good show ATL. 

MFxOG X MPB

RATINGS:

Venue: 4/5. Dope ass venue, I love it. Only thing I didn't like was the lighting. I looked at the footage Mark took of the show, everything dark as tf.

Crowd: 4/5. Small crowd, but very receptive to what I did the whole set. No complaints.

Merch Sales: 3/5: Last time was a 5/5, as I sold 22 items, all on my Square. this time, I didn't sell as much, but I'm appreciative those who did shop.

Sound: 5/5. A-1

Next Show:

4/5/19 @ The Freedom House in Birmingham, Alabama.

Marcel P. Black "Hallelujah" Music Video Trailer

Promo clip for Marcel P. Black's song "Hallelujah" from 2017's "Seven" EP. Shot in Charlottesville, Virginia by IG: @WickedWead.

Full video drops on marcelpblack.com April 23rd, 2019.

You can stream/buy "Seven" on all digital streamers/retailers, as well as buy phyical CD's and apparel at marcelpblack.bandcamp.com.

Marcel P. Black #RapRecap #10 (3.27.19 in Stanhope, New Jersey)

FROM BUSHWICK TO NEW JERUSALEM

So after the show at the Delancey, I had to use all my conflict resolution skills to deescalate a situation. It got so wild that NYPD pulled up, and I was scared shitless. I'm not gonna say who it was, or what it was about, but it got intense. Finally, the homie Johnny Bravo takes me back to Brooklyn so I wouldn't have to call a $50 Uber from the L.E.S., and I wasn't about to be food on the train with lots of cash and merchandise from the show. He drops me off about 2 am, and heads back to Jersey where his hotel is.

The next day we all have a show in Stanhope, New Jersey, one in which Rec Riddles is headlining, along with Wu Tang Clan affiliate Trife Diesel. I'm the special guest. Rec now lives in St. Louis, Missouri, but he's from Newark, New Jersey and has a dedicated following in his home state. And them Wu Tang niggas got fans all across the globe in every nook & cranny, so I knew it was gonna be lit. 

Johnny Bravo picks me up in Brooklyn, telling me it took him two hours to get there from his hotel in Jersey. My country ass mind couldn't fathom it taking two hours to drive 30 miles. Until it took us 2.25 hours to drive 31 miles!!! Mane, NYC traffic is nerve racking af!!! If I lived there I'm def riding public tranfportation all day!!! Them niggas can't drive for shit, the traffic is atrocius, the streets are wild small, mf's be ready to fight at every stop light, hell naw mane. Not I said MPB lol. 

We finally get to Jersey, and after a few failed attempts to eat, we get a couple slices, and head to Rec's parents house in Maplewood, New Jersery. Shoot the shit with his brothers for a few, then head to check into our hotel by the Neward airport. Change clothes, head out on about an hour trip to Stanhope, New Jersery for our show at the Stanhope House.

THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN ROADHOUSE...

That bih legit look like a house. Like somebody took a big ass house and turned it into a concert venue/bar/restaraunt. And it's out in the middle of the country, so it caters to touring artists like us. It's not alot goin on in Stanhope, so whenever artists pull up, they pull up. We get to the venue, and the parking lot is full. We see women dressed in full club attire walking in. 

Nigga, it's lit.

Before we get our merch out, they escort us to our green room on the second floor, above the stage. We have our own code to get in that bih and everything. The room has 3 comfy couches and autographed posters from music legends from all genres on the wall. We can hear the show has started, and it sounds live af. Finally, we get our bags and go into the venue to get our merch tables set up. After we set up, they come with menu's and tell us to order what we want. I had a fire chicken quesadilla and fries, and some of the coldest ice water you can imagine. Rec & Trife's name is on the marquee, and I'm being treated as a star. This is what it's all about.

PANTHER PROUD

I forgot to mention, when I came out the hotel I had on my Lo Camo button down, Lo camo denim jeans, a Lo bear shirt, and a Lo jacket that looks like a bubble vest. I had a camo Cincinatti Reds hat on, with the Nike AF1 High's. Bravo & Rec told me there was a chance Trife wasn't gonna make it, but I looked like a Wu Tang guy the way I was dressed, and that I would fit in perfectly lol. I literally just used the Wu Tang name generator, and my Wu Tang name is "Panther Proud."

That ain't got shit to do with with this, but I just felt that I should mention.

As we're setting up, I hear mad over vocals rap over a clear ass sound system. Once again, my not quite yet healed heart is broken again because I'm on the east coast and mf's are rapping over vocals.

Sad.

Face.

LIGHT WORK...

So after alot of New Jersery over vocals rap, it's my turn, in front of a much dwindled down crowd. For context, the locals sold tickets to open for Rec & Trife. When we got there, there was a solid crowd of about I'd say 100-125 people. But the thing is, alot of time when artists sell tickets, they leave early after their set, and they take their fans with them. Though the show was running on time, by the time it was time for my set, that 125, looked like 40 or 50. I'm an underground rapper, I get it, this is what we deal with. Only niggas who ain't never rapped out of town away from they friends think that every night is a packed house of thousands. Sadly this happens alot, and it's something us indie guys deal with and learn to make the best out of it. 

There's no host, so I gotta bring them in the old fashion way. I kick my "daddy sang gospel" acapella, and they wasn't ready for my big loud country ass, but they where there for it. Started the set with "Bad Man," and the crowd was into it. Next "Black God Fresh," and they liked the "Southern Conscious Biggie Smalls" line alot. I get into the "boom bap portion" of the set with "Principles & Standards" first, and they love it. It is here I debut my "REAL EMCEES DON'T RAP OVER VOCALS" call and response chant, and they laugh at first, but quickly get with the program. Even some of the rappers who rapped over vocals said the chant.

Panther Proud has that effect on people.

I run "Henry Clay," and I hear a guy say, "man he does it all." I'm one of the few emcees I know who can switch from boom bap to dirty south to trap to country rap tunes to progressive ass Hip-Hop with out it sounding out of place. I embrace that, it's what makes me special as an emcee and a live performer. They fuck with the KRS one sample and do all the chants/call & reponse they're supposed to do.

Then comes "Hallelujah." It was a mostly white crowd, out in the country, and you can tell. I don't know what they call Northern Rednecks, but some of these people didn't look they were above voting for Trump, or calling me a nigger. Then, they be voting for Governer Christie's fat ass, so doing this song is a risk of having to fight someone.

But I'm with that.

And mane did they cut up. I can honestly say, I've only had 1 problem with the "Fuck Donald Trump" call & response hook, and ironically it was some niggas in Mobile who was scared to say in front of white folks. While the white folks said it. 

SMH.

No cap, I kinda got tired on the last verse of "Hallelujah," not because I'm outta shape, more because I'd been on the constant go since I'd been up top, not properly resting. I power through the song however, and caught my second wind on "#FreeBLKPPL," and took them all the way to church on "Stare & Whisper." I love being super Southern/country/gospel outside the south. Those crowds really appreciate my story and my approach. I worked really hard in front of thinned out crowd, but I feel I had the best set of the night, and it showed at the merch table. 

PTJ THA PHAROAH PRINCE X PANTHER PROUD

After my set, I had a lot of people come to my merch table to shop, take pics, network. One of the guys is a young brother from Jersey who told me to call him "Prince." Buddy already sent me a song for a feature, it's up. I did really well at the merch table, after the crowd dispersed, I had a really good convo with the head of security who was like 6'8, 245 lbs, from Denmark. He look like if Liam Neeson's "Taken" character was a WWF wrestler in the 90's. He was cool af, anti-Trump, and surprisingly well versed in Hip-Hop and Black culture. He hands that were so big and strong he could prolly pick up Thors hammer. I'm cappin, but you get it.

Rec is up now, but I'm outside with the newly converted fans, so I miss his whole set.

My bad thug.

Nights over, we pump fake like we finna go to the strip club, but we don't. We break our merch down, and return to the green room to breaketh the breadeth. Oh yeah Trife couldn't make it, the pot went from being split 4 ways to 3. 

Here's a look at my mood below...

The bag was nice, much more than I expected. I did my shit, and I was happy af. Huge s/o to Rec & Bravo for making my east coast dreams come true. It was a stone cold groove, and I look forward to working with ya'll often in the future!!!

PANTHER PROUD AND REC RIDDLES IN FRONT OF THE STANHOPE HOUSE

RATINGS:

Venue: 5/5. Super dope, I will play there again, this year.

Crowd: 4/5. Bodied. Only taking a point off because mad ppl left with the other over vocals rap artists. But the ones who stayed showed crazy love.

Merch Sales: 4.5/5. They shop shopped.

Sound: 5/5. Flawless

NEXT SHOW:

4/4/19 In Atlanta, Georgia.