Lovell Marshall, aka Velly Marsh, is an independent emcee from the valley of Sacramento. Born in 1992, Hip Hop has been prevalent in his life since a child and he went to American River College to learn about the business and audio engineering. Velly released his first body of work in 2014 and through his work you can hear that his sound differs from most of his west coast influence. An artist who legitimately enjoys making thematic albums, his projects can give the feel of a great book. Velly now lives in Las Vegas to expand his sound and network, known to many as the Scatter Brain for his ever changing train of thought.
Twitter and IG @VellyMarsh
The ‘Oil Paint & Drank’ EP releases June 11th.
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
The love, respect, and admiration I have for my favorite artist. I wanted to experience that from the other side, like I want to give that feeling to somebody like my favorite artist gave to me. Outside of that, the authenticity. Influences are Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, Nipsey Hussle, The Dox (from Sacramento like me), MF DOOM, Immortal Technique, Ab-Soul, 50 Cent, Pharcyde, Rakim, Freddie Gibbs, The Jacka, etc. I have so many more but those are my main influences.
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
If I could compare I would say J. Cole. I know I’m light years behind that man but just how he moves in the industry. He’s very humble even though he’s one of the biggest artist in the world. In a world where every rapper has an ego, he just makes me feel like he’s a human being. He’s very great at being relatable and showing his emotions. Extremely talented storyteller. Now I’m not on his level but he’s the artist I try to chase. He really inspires me to create, and not just be bar heavy but being melodic and the approach to writing a song. I also admire Cole because his dreams weren’t limited to just music. I love that he’s playing basketball and still being a dreamer!
3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that has any influence on the kind of songs you write? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a musician?
Absolutely, most people that have been around me or even seen how I behave on social media might tell you that I’m a madman. I have trouble staying calm at times and when my anger reaches a boiling point I let it out. This has affected me dramatically with relationships and networking in the industry. When I moved to Las Vegas and was searching for a studio to book a session, some studios were hesitant because I have an album called “Dark Matter” and I don’t think people want to be around that energy. Which is understandable, I just didn’t think showing the world my pain and how I feel would affect me to this degree. People have a hard time separating the person from the art. So now it’s like even when I’m in a good mood, someone that knows me through music will still think I’m this madman and I can’t grow out of it in their minds. The worst thing in my opinion is every woman I’m really interested in can’t wrap their head around my creativity. They hear things I’ve said in past songs and start interrogating me like they the police.
4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?
I like to go to certain sceneries to write and gather some inspiration from it. Being in nature is really what inspires me to create the most. Just getting in tune with the universe, light meditations. Sometimes I like going to the bars, I’ll bring my headphones, have a few drinks and block everything around me out. Now when it comes to recording, I have to be completely sober. I’ll practice my flows all day before I go in there, because time is money in the studio so I want to make sure I’m all the way on point.
5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
I would definitely rather stay independent just for creative control and being able to move and work at my discretion. It’s millions of artist nowadays it seems; how I plan to stand out is through effective branding and actually putting money into myself. You have to invest in yourself and do proper research on where to spend money. My next project will be the first project where I feel I’m not releasing it into the void. We work so hard on our creations, we shouldn’t just put it on streaming services to share on social media, it shouldn’t stop there. I’ve been looking into marketing companies that specialize in organic growth. Pricey but well worth it. Also just about having a presence and showing more about yourself than just music. Nowadays people want to know what you’re doing outside of the music and it’s important to give that to the people!
6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?
I’m not making a living yet but I will be soon. I’m trying to get to the point where I can quit my job. Advice I would give to someone is simply do your research! Everyone in the game acts like gatekeepers to aspiring artist, they try to withhold information from us but the truth is all the secrets are right in our faces and you can find them easily by putting time towards that. Always being great in business, like many people think I’m crazy but anyone that’s done business with me has a whole different opinion and understanding of me. Treat the people in the game with respect, you’ll have to take L’s every now and then but just keep it pushing! Have a tunnel vision and don’t depend on anyone for information, find it for yourself. Google is free!
7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
It’s like a double-edge sword to me. I think it made artist look different because anyone can appear to be one on social media without actually being serious about it. I don’t have a ton of followers or anything so I think people take me less serious of an artist even though I know I’m doing all these things behind the scenes. It has made it easier to reach new fans and not being pinned to your specific jurisdiction. I think it’s extremely important to know how to use it. I’m not a social media guy, I typically only post when I have music coming, but if you don’t know how to maneuver on there you may miss opportunities. Perfect example is T-Pain, who’s probably working on all the collaborations he didn’t know existed in his inbox. I think an artist can survive without it but you have to have a large following already. Kendrick and J. Cole aren’t social media guys and are thriving without it but they put in work to have that luxury.
8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
I don’t look at them as sell-outs but I see why people say that. I think if you have the ability to make that kind of music then why not? Like, Drake has had an amazing run being in the mainstream for so long and got awarded artist of the decade. I wouldn’t label him a sell-out even though he was a backpack rapper beforehand. He had the ability to make that kind of music and he did it. I can’t make music like that, like I don’t enjoy writing for other people, I make music for myself honestly. I make the music I want to hear, and as long as an artist is doing that I think they’re true to themselves. Although my brand is being a scatterbrained individual. I may explore it in the future just because my brand will allow it. How I plan to keep my music true is always making it for me only.
9.) What are the positives and negatives of the music industry? What is it about the music industry that makes some artists push forward? What do you think makes some artists quit?
Positives of the music industry is simply being a part of it. Knowing that you’re not just taking from the culture but giving to it as well. You also can meet some wonderful people and gain great insight from other artists. Negatives, it can eat someone alive if not careful. You can get scammed, you’ll lose money if not careful. You might realize you like someone’s music but not them as an individual. What’s makes artist push forward is passion, when you do it for yourself it’s always worth it, when you do it for others it’ll mess you up creatively. Artist might quit if they’re doing it for other reasons other than themselves.
10.) What trends do you see staying or going?
I think the melodic thing that’s going on in hip hop is here to stay and I believe the sound will continue to expand. What trends I see going is the need to get a deal. I think more artists will stay independent in the future.
11.) With so many people online who are expressing their opinions on any and everything under the sun, how do you know when to take something as constructive criticism or when to see it as trolling?
You honestly have to take everything with a grain of salt. It comes back to what I was saying earlier, you have to do music for yourself. The minute you start thinking what others want you to do creatively is the minute you sold yourself out. It’s cool to know how others feel and their opinions but don’t let that be law.
12.) If you were to advise an up and coming musician on how to get more fans, what advice would you give them?
My advice would be simply to invest in yourself! Put money into your music and time to grow with your craft. Put the work in, practice, and get a professional sound. I know everyone wants a home studio but venture out and network with engineers and get another set of ears on your music. Research marketing companies and find ones that do organic growth and are legitimate services. Know that posting your links on social media to the same people everyday isn’t enough, you have to invest in getting your music heard! Build a visual presence with music videos, work on branding yourself. Don’t depend on anyone for information, do the research yourself!
13.) There are multiple ways of attaining fans and building up your fan base, so what are some ways you acquire fans?
Talk to them! Don’t think you’re bigger than someone just because you make music, take the time to reply to your comments. Make post that encourage people to engage with you, show your life and personality outside of music. Be active in real life too, get some business cards and pass them out while building rapport with people. Most importantly, perform! Build your stage presence! Be yourself and attract those like you!
14.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Great question. 5 years from now I see myself making music full time, living off my creations. Not saying I’ll have an abundance of money or anything but enough to feed my family. Everything I’ve learned up until this point is going to get put to use. I went to school for audio engineering when I was fresh out of high school. They also taught us a lot about the music business and steps we should take. I’ve never even used that information as I was working on building myself as a writer and wanted to make quality music before I started implementing that information. I’m ready now and I plan to flourish! I see myself touring, getting myself in circles I can’t get in right now. Ultimately, I don’t even care about the money although it’s important, I just want the public to respect my pen and know my product is worth listening to.