DC, STAND UP!!
DOWNLOAD: Marky - Nothing is 43ver (Mini-Album)
OFFICIAL iLLVibes Review of Marky's Nothing is 43ver:In a time where mixtapes drop every minute and every hour of the day … Marky is offering something different, a mini-album. In a time where songs are crafted on a formulaic basis … Marky is offering something different: his heart on every track.
For the past couple of months this Washington, D.C. rapper has stayed out of the limelight and media attention, determined to improve and focus on his music. “Nothing is 43ver” is the result of this inspired seclusion - a project nothing short of amazing.
“When Amazing Happens” demonstrates the growth of this young artist as he lyrically maneuvers through the song with clever metaphors and similes. Similarly, “The Master Piece” showcases Marky’s diverse lyrical repertoire as he raps about the struggles of making it in this industry. He proclaims with unique introspection, “It’s seems like they are out of self / Just them alone, nobody else/ I mean you are not responsible for someone’s wealth / But it’s like we sell dreams just to charge for help.”
This is a mini-album that breaks the barriers of the so-called “DC sound” often equated with drumbeats and go-go samples. Marky is offering a multifaceted product with original beats from the mellow West Coast-sounding “Lost Vegas” supplied by DMV's own Judah to a crazy soulful sample underlying “Turnaround” (prod. by Fastrax). AB the Producer, the main producer on the project, familiarly provides an eclectic sound full of insane synths on “Delusional” and “That’s Why They Love Me.”
Standout tracks on the album are “City On My Back”, “When Amazing Happens”, and “That’s Why They Love Me.” In similar form to how Young Jeezy and Kanye West repped where they were from on “Put On”, Marky proudly exhibits his DC roots with “City On My Back.” This track goes so hard, and hopefully DC radio (come on WPGC and WKYS) can visualize the representation of this song.
Although the majority of the album has a dark and somber feel to it, “That’s Why They Love Me” provides that unique contrast with a kind of track you would listen to on a Friday night before going out, causing you to exclaim as you prep yourself: “Damn I look famous!”
This is definitely one of the best projects coming out of the DMV for a while, and I hope to see it garner the recognition it deserves. I can tell Marky is an artist who has come a long way from “Homework” to “Nothing is 43er.” Marky truly deserves that “Sweet Taste of Victory.”
Be on the lookout for the
iLL Vibes exclusive video interview with Marky set for release soon (currently editing the footage). And make sure to visit
Marky's blog to receive the inside scoop on each track and especially the meanings behind the imagery embedded within his pictures and mini-album artwork.
