Off The Rails with MARCO PLUS
If you were to put the name of every rapper into a hat and choose one at random, chances are MARCO PLUS is mopping the floor with them in a battle. The man can rap his ass off, plain and simple. Marco released two full-length albums in 2021: the critically acclaimed “tha souf got sum 2 say,” referencing his south Atlanta upbringing, and “Sparco,” which is definitely a reference to his copious weed consumption.
Despite the 30-degree conditions, Marco’s having the time of his life in the Schuba’s green room. This is his first U.S. tour, in support of GRIP and Wiley from Atlanta, and he’s going from city-to-city hitting blunts and rapping in front of hundreds. He’s living the dream.
After spending just a few minutes with Marco, I can tell that I’m in the presence of a fascinating and confusing individual. Marco doesn’t like pizza: “I don’t understand it.” He said he wouldn’t last a week in a Chicago winter: “This cold shit is dead.” He sets himself to a high standard: “If I don’t get bigger than Mike Jack, I’ve failed.”
Sometimes you leave an interview with more questions than answers. But hey, that’s atlanta 4 ya.
How are you doing, Marco?
I’m chilling man, I’m high as hell, it’s cold as fuck. But I’m ready to rap.
Any impressions of Chicago so far?
I ain’t gonna lie. Y’all got good weed, but it’s sad as fuck, it seems. It’s cool, I love it though [Laughs].
What city are you looking forward to most on this tour?
Brooklyn was great, I wanted to do Brooklyn a lot and that was great. LA is gonna be fucking hectic. N***as think I’m high right now? Think again. [Laughs] I can’t wait. And ima rap good.
What rappers did you look up to as a kid?
Shit. Tupac, André 3000, Earl Sweatshirt, T.I., Lil Wayne. I ain’t like Kanye when I was younger, but then I started to understand him as I got into my teenage years. Hov. I liked Big L a lot growing up, I got put onto him when I was 14. Joey Bada$$.
How did you get in touch with the BACKSEAT crew?
Miles tried to sell me acid in 2018. And I’m not lying.
Did he succeed?
Not that time. [Laughs] But yeah, that’s how I met [S]MILES. I met Miles in 2018, but we really linked up in 2019, that’s when I met Loki and TJ too. A few months later, that’s when we met Elon, him and Silky Southern. That’s when all the other members like Ru and Rocket and Tre and Courtney and everybody just started getting added on. BACKSEAT got like 10 motherfuckers in it, and extended family. Like this n***a over here, Jiggs. Best rapper ever (gestures to Jiggs).
Did you have anything to do with the BACKSEAT song “PLUS FLOW”?
Nah. I was in the video, but I wasn’t on the song. It was inspired by my flow, though. I’m happy you know that fucking song. DEMMO out now.
You had a big year for releases in 2021, putting out two full lengths. What kept you motivated?
Being broke. That can motivate a motherfucker like none other. Being broke and having to feed a kid. You’re trying to get to the point where you can do more, like possibly get her fat. I feel like the goal for every n***a is having a chubby kid at like 6 or 7. They don’t have to walk nowhere, they ride in cars everywhere, they ain’t gotta do shit.
Lil Wayne once said “Gangstas don’t do nothing but get chubby.” How do you feel about that statement?
I ain’t gonna lie, I’m not trying to get chubby. I’m not trying to be shaped like the letter P.
How do you stay in shape? Especially on the road.
I smoke a lot of weed and then don’t eat after. We’ve been broke before. We’ve been stupid before. We done spent money on weed and been like “damn, I ain’t got no money.” [Laughs] So, n****s get skinny! But now that things are picking up, I’m just gonna work out.
Who did you listen to on the way over here?
The Realest by Mobb Deep. Some old shit. RIP Prodigy. Kool G Rap just dropped some hard shit, with the Alchemist. I need an Alchemist pack, man. If I get an Alchemist beat, it’s over for the streets.
Who else are you looking to work with this year? You’ve gotten a lot of impressive cosigns already on social media.
GRIP, Kenny Mason, I ain’t gonna lie, the BACKSEAT gang. I want to get a song with redveil. Me & MAVI got some shit coming soon. Me and Radamiz from New York got some shit coming with Chuck Inglish soon.
I got nothing coming with the Alchemist. But I’m going to work with that n***a this year though.
How are you going to do that?
Pull up to his concert and rob him for a beat. Like, “go to the studio! Make the beat! Oh, this shit hard, n***a!” With the gun on him. It gon’ work because he gon’ fuck with me.
Shoutout Alchemist, that’s the best producer ever. I’m from Atlanta and I’m saying that. We’ve got Metro Boomin, Wheezy, Zaytoven…. Oh, Metro from St. Louis? [laughs] St. Louis is not Atlanta.
Speaking of “not Atlanta,” how did you feel about the Omeretta song “Sorry Not Sorry”
I liked the song, she’s just geographically incorrect. I’m from the South Side. Everything past Doraville is not Atlanta, I think. I’m going by MARTA. I feel like MARTA is a good indicator of what’s Atlanta. MARTA run from like four different sides. Omeretta hard, but she can’t be doing n****s like that. Like, I stay on the West Side!
Photo by @justinnla
Someone did a Chicago version of the song. Calling out the suburbs basically. Who in Chicago do you listen to?
Keef, Common one of my favorite rappers, period. Deadass, Common that n***a. And he’ll headbutt a n***a ass.
Would you ever headbutt someone?
No, I’d punch a n***a but I’m not headbutting nobody. Why the fuck would I do that?
Well, why would Common do it?
He one of them type of n****s. Old-school. He’ll give ‘em the knuckle sandwich [Laughs].
I need a Common feature too. That’s who I need to work with this year. Common will try to body you with the delivery. Shoutout Common. He ain’t rapping better than me, though. But shoutout to Common. I love hip-hop. That’s the greatest shit ever.
When did you fall in love with hip-hop?
I was born into this shit. N****s be saying that, but I was legit born into this shit, I grew up kind of already there. My granddad owned a label in this small town. Music just kind of [was] instilled in me, and being a young Black person born in the 90s, it was hip-hop. If it had been the 60s, I’d be Jimi Hendrix with a piece of acid in my hand.
So, you always knew you were going to do this.
I never had dreams of being no firefighter, doctor, nurse. The fuck? Nah, shoutout to all of them.
How’d you spend the peak of quarantine?
I ain’t gonna lie, I was smoking weed and going through a breakup.
I worked on a lot of projects. Me and my dawg, we made a whole album, produced it and all. It ain’t coming out any time soon. It’s called “Fuck Rap.” And it’s fuck rap for sure, but n****s ain’t ready to say “fuck rap,” they gonna be ready soon though.
The reason why it’s called “Fuck Rap” is because rap is hard! The [idea] of this shit is the easiest shit ever, right? You go in there and keep punching and picking beats and having the ear for this shit with everyone else not having the same ear. But [it’s] fucking horrible, and I fucking hate it. Fuck rap.
What’s your approach in the studio when it comes to lyrics?
I’d say I write two bars and punch in the rest. It’s getting a little easier to know what to rhyme without writing shit. Also, when you write some shit, you’re not gonna feel the same way about it. Punching it in seems fresher. A real rapper will be able to spit some introspective shit off the dome. That’s how I feel.
Your most recent album was tha souf got sumn 2 say. Was that referencing South Atlatna or the Southern U.S. overall.
I was talking about South Atlanta but everybody’s kinda like “yo, the South got something to say.” Just cause of shit like what Omeretta did. Shoutout to Omeretta, but it’s because of that.
I think West Siders kind of just be gatekeeping. Don’t nobody else say that shit except people from the West Side. I love the West Side though, I stay West, on Oakland City.
What do you want folks to think of when they think of you?
Man, just know I smoke weed and I rap good. And I do it better than a lot of people. That’s why I do shit. I don’t care if you listen to it or not, but you should know that that’s me. I’m trying to be bigger than that n***a Drake. I’m trying to be bigger than Hov. If I don’t get bigger than Mike Jack, I’ve failed at life. That’s just a super fact.
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