About Me
Although hip-hop has become one of the most popular
forms of entertainment in the early 21st century, it
can be argued that as an art form, it has suffered due
to this foray into the mainstream. Marcel Cartier
isn't necessarily the type to say he's here to save
hip-hop, although his level of lyrical ability would
certainly give him reason to. Instead, the 23-year old
artist and self-proclaimed revolutionist would rather
offer an analytical explanation of WHY the music is
suffering.
"There's definitely a contradiction between the
art form sky-rocketing in terms of popularity and the
fact that nowadays the more you dumb yourself down,
the more records you sell. Ultimately, it comes down
to the power dynamic between the creators of the art
and the major corporations who are looking to make a
quick buck by any means... Our solution as artists has
to be to take the power back into our own hands and
hold our own entrepreneurs accountable for putting out
music that reflects our reality, and not fantasy."
A solid analysis of that nature can only come from a
man with a strong knowledge of history. First drawn to
hip-hop through intelligent emcees such as KRS-One,
Nas, and Tupac Shakur, a young Cartier began writing
his own songs that dealt with both community and world
issues. "I was born overseas in Europe, so my global
experiences gave me more of a global perspective. Of
course, it's still subjective, but I think I've been
able to better understand different viewpoints because
of this."
Still, it's evident that he's always been partisan on
behalf of the poor and the working-class. "The entire
first world was built off the exploitation of the
so-called third world. That's a contradiction that
exists even on a smaller level -- you see that in the
U.S. around 20 percent of the population control 80
percent of the wealth. We live in the wealthiest
country on the planet, and still deal with some
horrendous issues."
One issue that initially triggered Cartier's
social-consciousness as a teenager was police
brutality. "I remember hearing about incidents
involving the authorities targeting young black and
Latino males", recalls the lyricist, who is himself
white. "The deeper I looked into it, the more I saw
that these weren't isolated incidents, but were
endemic of the entire social system that this country
is built upon -capitalism."
With a new-found passion for revolutionary politics,
Cartier's music took on new meaning. "A lot of artists
do records about how fucked up the reality of the
world is. But, very few of these rappers actually have
the ideological clarity to be able to address solid
solutions. That's where my work has to come in."
Marcel Cartier's first project in his quest to open
minds is his "Revolutionary Minded" release. Hosted by
DJ Vlad, it's officially billed as a mixtape, but
includes nine songs of original material. "My whole
attitude now is quality over quantity. Some cats do 30
records a week and they all end of sounding the same.
You can count on every song on this album having a
video to go along with it, because every song needs to
be heard, as well as seen."
In addition to this first release, Cartier is also
gearing up for the release of the debut album from
Universal Law, the group consisting of himself,
Kayohes, and Kemz. Other plans include songs with
fellow comrades such as the A-Alikes, Dead Prez, and
the Outlawz. "At the end of the day, every opportunity
to speak to the people is a blessing. I want to be
remembered as an artist who was never afraid to speak
his mind in a principled way -- not necessarily as a
conscious rapper, because life is more than that.
Shit, I like to party and have nice things just like
the next man. But as artists, we need to touch on more
than just materialism and hittin' the clubs. More than
anything, it's a balance I'm looking for." Ultimately,
it's that balance that has and will continue to land
Marcel Cartier in the minds and hearts of people
across the world.
**MARCEL CARTIER "REVOLUTIONARY MINDED" OUT NOW!!
**NEW LAYOUT BY SON OF THE DON & TRILL PROMOTIONS**
A big shout out goes to Son of The Don for his work on the new site's layout. For more information on this talented artist, check him out at myspace.com/sonofthedon
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