It was an amazing moment for me as I remember bumping Personal Journals (Sage’s 2002 debut LP) quite a bit when that dropped.” The two continued to trade emails and demos, and after hearing what was in the works for Trademarc’s next project, an official alliance was inevitable. The pair released the RIAA certified-platinum LP You Can't See Me on Columbia Records, touring the US and Europe and making high profile appearances on TV’s Monday Night RAW. Predka struck out on his own with his follow-up, the more conceptual Inferiority Complex, and in 2008 joined old friends Esoteric and DC for 3 releases as the indie rap supergroup East Coast Avengers.Īfter the Avengers disassembled, Trademarc’s next endeavor led to a fortuitous connection: “ Sage Francis liked the video that was released for the title track of Black Ash Days and we started a dialogue. After the crew’s amicable split, Trademarc hooked up with another (more literal) heavy-hitter: his cousin, professional wrestler (and rapper) John Cena. He began his musical journey with fellow indie rap heavy-hitters 7L & Esoteric (CZARFACE), forming his first official group (under the name God Complex) with the duo and other college friends in the mid-1990s. ![]() Trademarc is no stranger to forming and furthering friendships through music. I really think that energy is well represented in that song.” “This was just a bunch of dudes laughing and recording in Brooklyn for a weekend. “The one song I had the most fun writing and recording was “Set It Off”, a posse cut with Penpals and Lars Viola.” The lighthearted, upbeat affair allowed Predka to return to his roots in hip hop, to a time when bonds were formed through good-natured competition among emcees battling to put down the best rap on a track. They really helped get me out of my comfort zone with their amazing work,” Trademarc explains. “ I feel like being around those guys really helped open me up to different, more positive, even humorous avenues of music I probably wouldn’t have explored without them. The sound of Blood Meridian was shaped by the Filthy Animals production team, and the vibe came about in part due to the influence of the producers’ PENPALS crew. ![]() & lt a href=""& gt Blood Meridian by Trademarc& lt /a& gt I live with Bi-Polar Disorder, which many people do, but with this project I felt it would be healthy to display more range than just being ‘the depressed, suicidal guy.’ I’d covered that ground in depth, and wanted to show what it was like to spend some time in the light at the end of the tunnel.” Listen to the full LP on the SFR Bandcamp! The BAD album will always be there as a document of that side of me. I didn’t want those experiences to define who I am as a person and artist forever. Marc explains the decisions he made when deciding how to follow such a heavy and intimate record: “I felt the need to expand my reach beyond that subject matter. It was also an important step in his catharsis. ![]() ![]() The album was a stark and harrowing look into his darkest moments, including accounts of his multiple suicide attempts. When the world last heard from Predka, it was 2015 and he had collaborated with producer DC The MIDI Alien to create the album Black Ash Days, a deeply personal documentation of his descent into complete emotional and mental breakdown. It is a story that is worth telling, and it’s also one that he wouldn’t mind taking a break from speaking on. Trademarc’s tale is one that has been hard-earned. It is also the latest milestone in a decades-long career that has taken the man born Marc Predka from the deep underground of the Northeast hip hop scene to signing his name at the bottom of a contract with the vaunted Columbia Records label to the brink of an internal abyss that he was never guaranteed a return from. Blood Meridian is the Strange Famous debut LP of the versatile and ferocious Boston, Massachusetts-area emcee TRADEMARC.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |