Marcus Christ – Black Bag

Marcus Christ pulls no punches with new single, forthcoming EP

LOS ANGELES, CA – Born in 1983 in Silver Springs, Maryland, Marcus Christ has grown to become a leading underground hip-hop artist from a generation that emerged in the wake of the influences of Tupac and Michael Jackson. Originally hailing from the Washington D.C. area, he eventually moved to Compton, where his father was from, and found himself melding a variety of styles and musical influences as he developed his own unique sound and style. And then, just when things were about to take off with his music, he found himself incarcerated because of implications associated with things he said that led to charges of intent to kill.

But now, after eight months in prison, Christ is ready to pick up where he left off with the launch of his new album “Prince of the Universe.” It’s a project that not only showcases his unique talent, but also nods to the lessons he learned through the ordeal of the past couple of years. Set to release later this year, “Prince of the Universe” will be an unabashed honest look at the world through Christ’s eyes, with music that he knows will entertain the masses.

“Sometimes the state can be wrong, and if the state law contradicts the federal law, then the state law is void,” Christ said. “People can get charged for saying something violent, but freedom of speech includes all kinds of speech. You can’t charge someone criminally for saying something – like if you say you’re gonna kill someone because you’re mad in the moment, you can’t charge someone for that – but you can take them to civil court. There needs to be a stop to infringing on our freedom of speech, and with this album I won’t hold back from saying whatever needs to be said. I like to do a lot of reality songs – whether that’s about girls and relationships or just life situations. When I rap, I’m spitting and talking about things realistically happening, and trying to portray things as close to as what I’m seeing as possible. If I see a guy calling his girl a bitch, I’m gonna put that in my music. I want my music to be known for being honest – good or bad, whether you like it or not, it’s honest. If the art is correct, whether you like it or not, you can’t be mad at it or at the artist.”

A good example of this unabashed honesty comes through one of his debut singles from the project, “Black Bag.” Embracing a chiller vibe that is perfect for getting stoned or just relaxing on the weekend, “Black Bag” challenges people to look at all the ways that love can be expressed and embrace those things instead of being judgmental and critical.

“There’s one line in there that’s talking about seeing girls kissing,” Christ said. “But that could mean anything – girls kissing their mom or dad, or their pet, or whatever. It’s all about love. To me, it’s a song that’s full of love, not hate and killing that a lot of hip-hop songs have today. If you listen to every one of my songs, you’ll see that there’s always some type of moral or takeaway – and at the end of the day my music is about what I’ve learned and hope to accomplish, not what I’ve got or how many girls I hope to date or anything like that.”