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Marcello isn’t Spooked by the long trek to the top
Wednesday 3rd October 2012 | David
The fast rising, gifted hip hop artist opens up about the hard road to success
Here at Guestlist, we like to look at success stories from up-and-coming talent: Marcello Spooks certainly fits into this category. The young rapper has made a name for himself over the past few years, coming back from the brink when it all could have gone wrong for him. It hasn’t been easy, but Marcello is a testament to the idea that perseverance pays off. As the man himself says: “spell happiness with two p's: that’s Perseverance and Profit”.
He first started thinking about music when he was ten: “I began to put together rhymes in my head, but writing nothing down”. The film 8 Mile spurred him on to writing his lyrics and he kept on writing and rapping when he could, also traveling to pirate station Axe FM in London. Having formed a collective called Menace Camp with friends, the views on his MySpace soared to over 100,000 by the age of 16. It was at this stage that things began to go wrong for Marcello: friends went their separate ways and he almost stopped writing altogether. He recalls that he planned to move to Cyprus to work with his family, but was persuaded not to: “my friend Daffy, who I will always thank for this, pushed me and physically dragged me to a college open day. It was there that I began to use education as a focus.”
The move certainly paid off for Marcello; he gained three As at A level and got into Exeter University, making friends and once again taking up his pen to write songs. Several open mic nights later, he was headlining the Beat Roots event to massive acclaim. His second year there saw some momentous events: meeting superstar director Quason Matthews – who has since produced several videos for Marcello – and releasing his self-produced LP, Stirring in my Sleep. The record delves into some pretty hard-hitting themes of domestic troubles in ‘Family Affairs’ and the profound ‘All The Things’, along with themes focusing on female attention in ‘Mind The Gap’. It went down very well, but Marcello is typically humble and thoughtful when he looks back on it: “I can hear how lost I was as an artist, trying to figure out what sound I wanted to push and what I wanted to say. I think that the title of the mix tape is especially fitting.”
He has since met, and collaborated with, several big names in hip hop, including the huge future talent that is Poet. He has also featured on Quason Matthews’ show “Dat’s A Wrap”, as well as meeting DJ Cameo, and his continued musical education has contributed well to his unique style. A new song, ‘Can I Get A Moment’ has recently been put on his SoundCloud, and you can check out the video to the awesome ‘Marcello’s Room’ below. Make sure you take a look at the rest of his videos, and keep an eye out for any future gigs, because this guy is certain to continue his rise to the top, following his own advice all the way: “I live by my own lyric: The B in doubt stand for believe”.
By Dave Rees
@DavidWRees
