Dope Lyricist Marc Payne

Category: Featured artist

With hip-hop rebuilding itself to focus more on the love of music rather than record sales, Marcus Payne, 19 year old rap artist and poet from Los Angeles, strives to be a part of that movement. Payne describes that since age fourteen, “I love the struggle of an artist because it’s a life long process and achievement.” He and his newly founded World Premiere Empire are focused on taking the upbeat club bangers Payne grew accustomed to growing up, and transforming his love for lyrical brilliance into music for a mainstream audience. As an “all-around” artist, Payne comments on how through his maturity not only as a person, but a man hunting for success, he began focusing on lyrics, soon “falling in love with the poetry of hip-hop.” He further explains how he “mixed the two together and created Marc Payne.” The Two Sides of Payne, Marc’s unreleased album that is set to drop in early July of this year, is a long awaited masterpiece, which encompasses another side of this multi-dimensional poet. Succeeding in bringing back the talent of the West Coast, is Payne’s ultimate goal, proving that his love the lyrical word and good music, will bring him much success in his endeavors.

Marc Payne

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Contact: www.myspace.com/marcpayne or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Unsigned Hype Marc Payne

Urbansteez.com Interview with Marc Payne

Unsigned Hype Marc Payne Urbansteez.com: Tell us your name, and what area do you represent?

Marc Payne: How you living, world?? I'm Marc Payne residing in the city of fallen angels, palm trees, and wannabe's(Los Angeles, Cali)

Urbansteez.com: How long have you been pursuing a career in the music industry?

Marc Payne: I started making beats on Fruity Loops at the age of 14. I sold my first beat to an underground artist at 16 and I made chump change selling tracks coming up. As I got older I realized that I could spit better than the majority of rappers I came in contact with, so I began working on my lyrics. From then I got signed to an independent label, K2K Records, as a producer/artist. I developed my writing skills through my involvement in poetry and now I feel like I'm entering my prime as a lyricist.

Urbansteez.com: What were you into before music?

Marc Payne: I came out the womb with headphones and a notepad, HA! Na but really my grandmother said when I was born I had the fingers of a pianist so she signed me up for piano lessons around seven years old. I've been playing the keys and making music ever since. I had hoop dreams for a couple years, but that ended as soon as I hit high school. So I dropped the ball, picked up the mic and been running ever since.

Urbansteez.com: As an artist how would you describe your style and why?

Marc Payne: Honestly, I believe my style is all over the place. I never want to limit myself to one category, but if I had to pick, it would be "other," (Marc laughing). I can perform a club track with the best of them, but I can rock an intellectual/political track with a conscious rapper as well. My flow is adaptable because I let the music speak to me before I write. Growing up, I was influenced by different artists with different styles. My brother, Swoop, is a professional choreographer so I grew up listening to upbeat club style music. As I grew older, I started listening to lyrics more and I fell in love with the poetry of hip hop; I mixed the two together and created Marc Payne.

Urbansteez.com: If you had your pick which label to be signed to, which label would it be and why?

Marc Payne: At the moment I'm building my own label: THE WORLD PREMIERE EMPIRE!! I would never leave my baby so if I signed, it would be a distribution deal where everyone on my squad gets picked up. I love how Ludacris does business so Disturbing the Peace would be a good look for the distribution deal, but I'm far from trippin.

Urbansteez.com: Who in your future would you want to collaborate with and why?

Marc Payne: That's a long list my friend. Production wise, if I worked with Dr. Dre or DJ Quik, I would feel like I made it. As a young Los Angeles boy that's all I grew up on; they're living legends in a sense. Truthfully, there are a lot of dope artists and producers who are not known to the mainstream that I want to work with because they have their own original sound. I want to work with anybody who is on their grind and is capable of bringing something different to the game. I'm not the type of dude to turn down a feature (exceptions of course), but I feel like the fan base grows when you do tracks with other known artists.

Urbansteez.com: What are you working on now, and when can we expect to hear more of you?

Marc Payne: I'm working on a concept anthology entitled "The Series of Payne." The first CD on deck in the anthology is my poetry CD, entitled "The Phases of Love." I have recently completed the album and it's about my maturity process told in a story of a relationship. In that album, I become Marc Payne. The next album on deck in the concept anthology is "The Two Sides of Payne," which is set to drop on Amazon, Rhapsody and Itunes in Early July. I wanted this album to be a street banger because I felt it necessary to capture my night life experience growing up, getting money and dealing with jealousy. Since I'm known in the poetry circuit I felt like the rap album embodied a different person so I consider it the two sides of myself. The next album Déjà vu is going to be released 4/20 of 2009 and will predict my death. Aside my music projects, I'm working on building my artists' careers of Meda4 and J Houston who are on the World Premiere roster. The hustle never sleeps and I'm trying to stay busy.

Urbansteez.com: Who are your influences?

Marc Payne: I'm influenced by artists who do more than just rap, as Jay-Z would say, "the ones who open the market up." Therefore, anyone who signs themselves is an influence in my book, like Ludacris, Jay, Pharell, 50 cent, etc. Musically, I'm inspired by just living my life and listening to music. A lot of the time artists try to force the music and that's when it's hard for inspiration to miraculously occur.

Urbansteez.com: What do you think of the hip hop / music world right now? Unsigned Hype Marc Payne

Marc Payne: A lot of people say Hip hop is dead because of low album sales, but realistically no one is selling because downloaded music changed the game. I feel hip hop is going through its detox process because the mainstream has been eating it up like crazy. The dope original artists are now doing what they love doing. True artists are now making music just to make it. Those ideals are what formed hip hop and that is what is bringing real hip hop back.

Urbansteez.com: What will you do with your first royalty check?

Marc Payne: With my first royalty check I'm flipping the money so my next royalty check is triple the first one (just a Hustla's Mindframe).

Urbansteez.com: When you make it big, what car will you first purchase?

Marc Payne: I'm definitely getting a custom joint. I want something that looks like a spaceship or the Batmobile. I'll probably end up opening my own car store so it'll be a car that the majority of the world has never seen before.

Urbansteez.com: What's in your sound system right now?

Marc Payne: A lot of Los Angeles up and coming acts are in the whip at the moment. I'm loving Snoop's new joint. He definitely got placed in my top 5 favorite rappers category after that "Ego Trippin" album. I listen to everything though so it's no telling based on my mood. One day I'll be bumping DPG and the next I'll be bumping a poetry or rock album. Just no telling!! Low key, I just started listening to Brittney Spears and all the bubble gum artists because I'm studying how to make those records. There's too much money to be made in the industry!!

Urbansteez.com: which female in the game would you pursue first and why?

Marc Payne: Growing up I was in love with Lisa Raye, HA! I use to watch The Players Club religiously growing up. But I know she's wifed up, so I'd have to say Lauren London. As long as I don't end up in a book like Karine Steffans did, I'm good.

Urbansteez.com: How can fans contact you in the future (myspace, email, PO box, etc.)??

Marc Payne: Holla at ya boy Marc Payne atwww.myspace.com/marcpayne , the facebook site (search for Marc Payne), or for booking information contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Urbansteez.com: ANY SHOT OUTS???

Marc Payne: Big up to The World Premiere Empire!! I don't want to name any other people or labels because that can go on forever so I'm going to just say the whole New West Coast movement. We are definitely bringing attention back to California. Shouts to anyone who read this article and supports me as an artist. Much love and Thanks!!