The movie Die Hard was playing in the background at the studio while I was writing one day,” Marc tells Billboard. “At this same time, quitting a couple bad habits had been weighing heavily on my mind and the idea just really developed from there!”

In 2016, Bassy released his debut album, Gossip Columns, under the Republic imprint. It included features from high-profile artists like YG, Kehlani, frequent collaborator G-Eazy, and more. The San Fransisco-native recently embarked a 35-city tour with Jon Bellion.

The post Marc E. Bassy Is Revived On “Die Hard” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Marc E. Bassy has recently dropped a stunning visual for his song “Dirty Water.” The Bay Area artist is giving his fans the second visual from his popular Groovy People EP that released in August. The new visual gives a peek at all of the ambiguous ideas this up-and-coming singer/songwriter has in store for fans in the future. The release of this video comes on the cusp of Bassy’s upcoming tour, starting November 6th in Atlanta, GA.

The video starts off showing Bassy and his obvious love interest, and their drastic separation. If you aren’t familiar with the song, Bassy is still in love with his ex, and uses “dirty water” as a metaphor for “creeping” with her behind her boyfriend’s back when they’re drunk. He wants to be the only man she loves, but is willing to do whatever it takes, regardless of circumstance, to still fool around with her.

Bassy keeps the video idea fairly simple, but you have to pay attention to catch the true meaning. In an interview with Complex he says:

“This isn’t a video about production or set design, it’s basically just two scenes trying to evoke a feeling.”

The video alternates between Bassy in a forest, and his love interest in her bed, and then to Bassy in dirty ocean water and her in the shower. This represents them turning their desires into reality, and actually beginning their physical relationship, but also shows that alcohol enabled all of these actions. Bassy shows us some pretty dope shots, helping everyone grasp the true meaning of  what “dirty water” really is, and what it could be. The video ends off with a slam of his ex girlfriend’s door, leaving viewers wondering if Bassy has just left, or maybe representing her boyfriend’s arrival home.

Marc E. Bassy previously released his first visual “You And Me,” which premiered in May. Fans are happy to see more coming from Bassy, and look forward to everything else he has in store for the future.

Check out “Dirty Water” below. If you haven’t heard the Groovy People EP, get to listening soon, it’s amazing. And check out our digital cover with Marc, here.

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Casper & B. are a production team out of LA who have been making waves recently with a blend of slamming beats that perfectly fuse dance and hip-hop aesthetics. They’ve put in work behind the boards with Marc E. Bassy, OG Swaggerdick (my favorite rap name of all-time, if only for the fact that it exists), and Michael Christmas. Most notably, they produced Kiiara’s infectious “Intention,” which has over half-a-million plays on SoundCloud. Now the duo release the first single “Work Hard” ft. Michael Christmas and Marc E. Bassy from their own upcoming project, Low Battery Summer.

“We haven’t set a specific date that we’re going to drop the whole project. We’re focusing on the first few singles before we drop it, but we’d say in terms of the sound it’s similar to Sneak in that it’s really trying to combine the dance world and the rap world, and even the urban R&B and Pop world. They mostly all feature a rapper or a singer or both. It’s definitely a cohesive sound, so it’s something we’ve been crafting all along. Which is just our favorite elements of all the music we love into one cohesive sound.”

Alongside his sense of humor, one of Michael Christmas’ great skills as a rapper is a versatility that enables him to tackle different sounds with ease and comfort. L.A. producers, Casper and B (who last joined forces with Christmas on the humorous “Sneak”) serve up a riotous beat on “Work Hard” that plays an unexpectedly fitting counterpoint to the Boston rapper’s daily observations and self deprecation. Casper and B whirr through different ideas—interpolating a Busta Rhymes album cut one minute and breaking into the pretty Marc E. Bassy-assisted chorus the next—with the same adaptability that makes Christmas entertaining. Listen to “Work Hard” below.

The post Casper & B Drops ‘Work Hard’ Feat. Michael Christmas & Marc E Bassy appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In this part of the interview, Marc and I speak about life in the hills, writing songs about girls and his three biggest pieces of life philosophy.

If you have not yet checked out part 1 of my interview with Marc, you can read that here.

RESPECT.: You also seem to paint a pretty vivid picture with your East Hollywood EP, is that how you would describe your day to day life in the hills? Because it felt really natural.

Marc: In reality, my life is pretty crazy because I’m pretty sick of all this Hollywood sh*t but I’m not living in a mansion on top of the hill, but I’m in there. And what comes with that day to day is a struggle because I believe in my talent and I know a lot of my peers do. (I’m around) people who are really successful on a day to day basis, and I’m kind of becoming a part of it. I’ve been on tour for a month, and that month FLIES by. A lot of this sh*t is not normal. I’m on tour with G-Eazy, and it’s funny because G-Eazy has this song called “Sad Boy.” It’s funny because it’s so easy to be like “f**k all these rappers crying about how their life is filled with hotel rooms with sexy women and alcohol.” But I can tell you from being around it, and just from being in Hollywood in general, that there is some truth to it. When you’re actually doing sh*t that you dreamed about, on a daily basis and you realize that wow, some of this lifestyle bullsh*t is actually not fulfilling. It kind of changes your whole perspective, so you’re like, “Wow, so what am I going to do that makes every day worth it? Because it’s not going to be partying.” But for a lot people, they work all week to get to the party. That’s easier, you know? And then they have a family or whatever. And for me, it’s interesting to see, to change my perspective and find what really fulfills me. Playing music live is definitely one of those things so it’s a blessing to be on the road and to be doing all that.

RESPECT.: I think that people like to diminish other people’s struggles and they don’t know. Especially when this has been your dream for your whole life and you imagined it being a certain way but certain parts of it aren’t what you thought, like the women or the parties. You probably imagined that coming with the success in music, but you don’t know who you can trust really and you don’t find real sh*t around all the time.

Marc: I’m usually one of those people that is like, “F**k all that! There is nothing to complain about, like nothing could be better.” And obviously I’m not Kanye West. I don’t know what it really feels like to make an album in a hotel in Paris, but I will soon. But I do think that it’s been a learning curve and the further I get I’m starting to understand the struggle of what it really means to be a full-time artist. You’ve got to keep making hot sh*t too ya know? You can’t fake good music and you have to feel and be in touch with whatever’s real around you. And that’s hard too because people don’t really do that in real life. People try to avoid their problems as much as they can but as a song-writer, you’ve really got to just dig in there on a daily basis, which is kind of interesting too.

RESPECT.: Well you have that line that I really like, which seems to relate to what you’ve been saying, “come get one top, I need something to look up to.” * laughs * It seems like that kind of represents your life right now, where sometimes you just need inspiration, or you just need something real in the craziness of it all.

Marc: * laughs * Yeah, it’s funny because I always painted this picture of myself as being that guy and now it’s kind of coming true. There is definitely a lot of that. That’s probably the best song that sort of describes my day to day life that I’ve made so far.

RESPECT.: It’s one of my favorites. I think it really paints a picture. So, do you believe in the law of attraction a lot?

Marc: Yeah man, I believe in the law of attraction. It makes sense to me.

I then asked him about a line on his song “40 Water” where he says, “I’ve been this way since the delivery room.” I thought he meant he worked at a UPS store or something but then as soon as he told me, I put it together. The delivery room, as in where babies are born, as in since forever. He did say that he worked as a stock boy at Banana Republic though, so at least it sort of related to my thought… After that embarrassing moment I asked him if he always knew that he would be doing music and what he was doing right now.

Marc: You know what? I kind of did. I definitely always knew that I wanted to have a voice. I didn’t know that it was going to be singing, I never really cared about singing, but I was doing poetry slams when I was like an early teenager; like twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and I never felt comfortable being like a “rapper” because I don’t know, I’m very sensitive about appropriation and I don’t feel comfortable being a full-fledged white boy rapping. Especially because I’m a little older and that sh*t wasn’t cool when I was in high school unless you were like Eminem. But there was no frat boy rappers when I was in high school. That sh*t didn’t exist. I’m kind of from before that so I didn’t really know that it was going to be music, but I always loved music and I always loved just getting a chance of getting my voice heard. I have a really big family with a lot of complications in it and they, for better or for worse, always gave me a voice. Because there is so many people in it, every dinner, every Christmas or Thanksgiving, I had a chance to tell my people in my little community village how I felt and how I felt about how we were all operating together. And that was sort of my first platform, so it always felt natural to me to have an opinion and to get to share it. So I think it was always in there.

RESPECT.: Well it’s working out! What has been the most freeing song for you to write? I know you like to express yourself and feel like you have that voice, so was there a song where you really needed to get something off your chest and you felt just free about making it?

Marc: Yeah, honestly like every song. * laughs * There’s a new one I just did called “Wool” that I put out. That one was pretty good. I’ve been dealing with this certain situation and relationship and I was kind of stressed about it and I just did it. I wrote that in like 15 minutes or something. So that was probably the latest where I felt like, “Oh I had to get that off my chest. Now we don’t ever have to talk about that again” * laughs *

RESPECT.: * laughs * Well I felt some of that sh*t, with the commitment and not being sure. Do the girls every hit you up and be like, “Yo was that about me?”

Marc: Every time. I’m constantly snitching on myself. But everyone who takes the pledge with me kind of knows. And I’ve gotten better at expressing that to people, but when it comes to my music… music is the one constant in my life. And my family. That comes first to me. Not in like a d*ck head way, but if I have a song that’s in me I’m not going to bite my tongue for anybody. And I think people know that I won’t lie. I won’t just make some sh*t up to like seem cool. When she heard the song in that case, she could like refer to it. “It’s like in the song in the second verse, you said blah blah blah,” you know? But I try not to lie. I try to be honest.

RESPECT.: They probably respect it honestly. Speaking of how music is the most constant thing in your life, if you had to say three things that are most important to your life in terms of your life philosophy and your beliefs, what would they be?

Marc: I love believing in the people around me, and surrounding myself with people I see potential in. And sort of like growing as a community together. So that’s number one. You don’t really see me out here without my people. We live together, we work together, we eat together, we party together. My circle is really strong and it’s always been that way.

Number two, I’m definitely very much living in the moment as I’ve alluded to before. Whenever I’m feeling, I try to follow it.

I think that there are a lot of things to be learned, in places where you least expect it. And being from San Fransisco, it’s kind of one of those cities where you assume, “Oh I’m from San Fransisco, I know everything.” But in traveling, you kind of find out, that you could be in Detroit, and there is some old dude, and you’re thinking, “He couldn’t possibly know sh*t.” But he could be the one to give you that gem that you were looking for. So I’m pretty open to listening. And I have been really hard headed my whole life but my new thing is just to listen more. And there are stories everywhere, and wisdom everywhere. So I’m trying to find that.

RESPECT.: I’m definitely trying to take in some gems also from you so I feel that. Well the last thing I had written down here was that you are really inspired by books when you write a lot. Are you reading anything right now that is getting to you?

Marc: I just read that “Between the World and Me.” It’s a really good book about race, and I had read a few other things that I had referenced, but it was cool. At one of the shows his nephew was a fan, and gave me a signed copy. So that was dope. Obviously race is a big topic right now, and it’s sort of boiling over. We’re sort of at a weird point where it’s like, it can’t really be ignored anymore even though they try. So I’ve been brushing up on that.

RESPECT.: Word. Were the interludes on East Hollywood from a movie? Or Where did those come from?

Marc: They’re from a Charles Bukowski exerts. They’re from a little documentary from him. And then some are like poems, and there is one where it’s just a hippie girl from a Woodstock clip that I liked.

RESPECT.: Well it fit in really well. Alright man, well I’ll let you get out of here. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for the time, and I really appreciate it.

Marc: No man, anytime. I appreciate the support.

Follow Marc on twitter, instagram and soundcloud for more updates on his new music

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RESPECT.: Where are you guys headed to right now?

Marc: We’ve got two more shows in San Fransisco, then we head to LA, then the tour is over!

RESPECT.: Nice! What are your plans for after tour? Are you just going to make music and enjoy life?

Marc: Yeah I’m going to finish this debut album and keep doing shows! I’m doing some dates with Kehlani. I dunno, keeping busy.

RESPECT.: Word. Well I’ve been listening to a lot of your music lately and I’ve got some questions about your lyrics, the process, and your philosophy on life. Lately I’ve been listening to “Only The Poets”. On the intro you say, “if it’s only for survival, then you’re dead on arrival.” What I took from that line was that if you’re waking up every morning and you’re working a job that you hate or doing something just to get by, that you’re already dead before you started. What does that line mean to you?

Marc: I think that interpretation is pretty accurate. I’m basically just a blessed, lucky individual, as a lot of people here are and they probably don’t even realize it. Yeah, if you’re getting up every day just to get through it, then what’s the point?

RESPECT.: I think a lot of people do that though.

Marc: Yeah, they definitely do. Sh*t I do too sometimes. I’ve been trying to remind myself.

RESPECT.: It seems like you’re big into living for the moment though. Are you a big fan of the journey and seeing things progress day by day?

Marc: I’m very much an in the moment person. In my relationships, in my work. I love to kind of be spontaneous. I do think there is a lot of merit to having a plan and sticking to it, and working things out, but you have to remember, as cliche as it sounds, you know, nothing is promised. I think music is a very grounding instrument that kind of puts you in the moment, you know? Whether you’re listening to it, singing it, writing it, playing it, whatever. Nothing really puts you in the moment like that. So I kind of like that as a theme for music in general, and definitely, for art.

RESPECT.: Yeah, for me music and playing basketball are the two things that put me in the moment the most. Where you don’t think about anything else, just that moment.

Marc: Yeah, exactly! That’s kind of what it’s all about.

RESPECT.: Speaking of the process and the moment. I know you’ve talked about starting with 2am Club, but what was it like starting fresh after that? Was it kind of tough starting fresh or was it more freeing? What was that process like for you?

Marc: It was tough because it took forever for me to kind of do it. And I wouldn’t want to harp on it, but I definitely could have done it earlier, but I think that it sort of happened at the right time because everything I learned in 2am Club, I feel like is my sword that I am cutting through around the bullsh*t with now. Business wise, song writing wise. 2am Club was the greatest musical bootcamp you could ever have because the musicians in it were so advanced; past even what people understand. I was listening to the Surf (Chance The Rapper and the Social Experiment) album, and there is a lot of dope musicianship. But Dave Dalton, the keyboard player from 2am Club, he’s Macklemore’s piano player now. And Matty Reagan, the guitar player, he is out there making music like crazy. Progressive, weirdo music that is really good, I think. Everyone was just so good at their instrument and their craft. They put me up on just so much sh*t, and so much music. I just feel like I have this whole wealth of knowledge that most people don’t get to have. And it’s almost like I went to music school. So, I think 2am Club spit me out at the right time.

RESPECT.: Yeah, and I feel like you guys had a lot of connections too. You were working with artists like XV, Big Sean, and other big names. So I feel like it was probably good to get a taste for the real industry before you kind of set off on your own.

Marc: Yeah exactly. I mean, even though I don’t like to think about that too much, the business aspect, that’s probably the biggest thing I learned. Just knowing that in this business nowadays, to be a creative, there is like a business component that is equally important that has to do with branding, and kind of knowing who you are and where your lane is, and knowing what you’re trying to say, and conveying that affectively.

RESPECT.: What is it, if you had to put it into words, that you as a brand, or you as an artist would like to stand for with your music?

Marc: For me, what I’m kind of into right now, is just the idea of making something that is quality in terms of song-writing, especially. Sort of classic in nature. Something that’s timeless. Something that’s educated. I never went to school, but the streets have taught me everything. Not like on some hood sh*t but a little bit of that too. * laughs * Just being out here (LA) since I was fresh out of high school running around here. Everything that I’ve learned. I’m not like a nineteen year old. So I have this extra perspective, and I feel like sharing that with the kids, and with my peers. So I’m kind of embracing this being grown up but making music for the youth.

RESPECT.: Well it’s really relatable stuff. My next question, which you already just touched on, was going to be: since you said that you learned how to make songs from looking at The Beatles, is your goal to make timeless music?

Marc: Yeah man, for sure. It’s like, I think about what’s been made that’s been timeless. Since I’ve been making music in the past few years, and there’s really not that much. Whenever people talk about it, it ain’t like that Dr. Luke sh*t, that’s not holding up. No one’s playing Kesha right now out here (this interview was ironically done before the whole Kesha and Dr. Luke drama, but the line is very relevant in retrospect), that’s not a knock to her. No one’s listening to Kelly Clarkson right now. It’s kind of hard to figure out where it’s at you know? Especially song wise. There are movements. A$AP is forever now, that’s like a thing that changed the world. Kid Cudi changed the world. Odd Future changed the world. But that was more about attitude, and style, and independence. On some punk rock sh*t almost. But it’s rare that songs stay forever; and that’s kind of my quest.

RESPECT.: I agree. I think nowadays it’s about the movement, but what really struck me about you is that it’s always been more about the music. That’s what I related to. For me, Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon album changed my life when I was younger. Were there any songs that changed your life? Anything you listened to when you were younger that you can look back on and be like, “damn, that really changed everything”?

Marc: Yeah, I mean, a lot. Music really changed me. It really informed my whole personality. Early on it was All Eyez On Me. Voodoo was huge. I had this older basketball coach, who was this soulful white dude and I just remember sitting in the car with him and him playing me that D’Angelo song, “Africa.” And he was just like, “you’ve got to listen what he’s saying. He’s talking about how he lives in this country but this country is not made for his people.”

I had always heard rap music in that way, with the cutting political message, but that was the first time I heard it in more of a bluesy, emotional way like D’Angelo did it. Where it’s not like, “I’m telling you what the f*ck is going on”, but more like, “I’m hanging my head, but in a beautiful way. Listen to it and you’ll see the struggle is where the beauty is coming from.” That’s what kind of changed my whole perspective and kind of showed me that there was another way to convey emotion. I went through a lot in my early teenage years, and that helped me a lot and showed me that you can put out a feel, and a vibe, and a message, without being so aggressive. Because I’m not Tupac. So Voodoo really changed my life. And then when I got into Stevie Wonder and classic soul music pretty much around the same time. I’m still listening to that stuff. Bill Withers, Donny Hatheway, classic Stevie.

RESPECT.: It’s cool because all of your influences seem to fit really cohesively into your music.

Tune back into RESPECT on Thursday for the rest of our conversation where Marc dives into his life in the hills, The East Hollywood EP, fame, and his 3 most important life philosophies. You won’t want to miss it. Thanks for reading

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If you haven’t heard of Marc E. Bassy, you’re sleeping on some good quality music. The Bay Area artist is embarking on a tour with G-Eazy in January, so he blessed us with fresh content in “Dirt On You”; a tranquil, soulful ode to the his latest flame. Marc is another artist who balances on the tightrope between rap and R&B, but he blends both in a refreshing fashion.

When asked about his musical style in XXL‘s “The Break Presents” series back in March of 2015, he had this to say:

“it’s 2015. Everyone sings now. Every rapper sings too. But I classify myself…I don’t know, I’m both. I love to do both.”

His passion for music shows in his vocal delivery, songwriting, and production. Whether he is rapping or singing, it simply just works. Listen for yourself below, and remember his name while 2016 slowly creeps up on us.

The post New Music: Marc E. Bassy- “Dirt On You” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Usually static is a bad thing, that’s not the case on Azure‘s track “Cut The Lights” featuring Marc E. Bassy as it adds to the track’s overall feel. Azure represents the HBK Gang nicely with some swift bars. Listen to the collabo below. “Cut The Lights” is self-produced and will be on Azure’s upcoming project Leap Year.

The post New Music: Azure – “Cut The Lights” ft. Marc E. Bassy appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.