Marco XO
Marco XO | |
|---|---|
| File:Marco XO.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marq Anthony Thomas |
| Also known as | OTown Marco, MF Marco |
| Born | July 7, 1997 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | Loners Club, Seeing Sounds |
| Associated acts | Natia, Bijou, Antonio West |
Marq Anthony Thomas (born July 7, 1997) aka Marco XO[1] (previously known as OTown Marco and MF Marco), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Pine Hills, Florida.
Early life
Thomas was born July 7th in 1997 in Pine Hills, Florida, a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated subdivision in Orange County, Florida, United States, west of Orlando. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Pine Hills had a population of 60,076. It is a part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area (home to 2,134,311 people in 2010).
Pine Hills is home to several parks, five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high School. As a part of the statewide Coast To Coast bicycle trail, the Pine Hills Trail is also being developed running from Barnett Park through the middle of the community to Clarcona-Ocoee Road. It is minority majority. In response to years of neglect and blight, several revitalization efforts are currently underway in the community bringing results.
Speaking on growing up in Pine Hills, Florida, he said, "I grew up in the hood. My mom was the kind of mom trying to get me to go to schools that were not in the hood. I'm from Pine Hills. Westside. Shit was straight, bro. Shit was fun. It was urban. It was fun. I was the kid that was into different shit like skateboarding. It was straight, like any other hood, my G. Niggas sleep. Orlando got hoods."
His mother used to listen to a lot of The Isley Brothers and hip-hop when he was growing up listening to what she was listening to. His father used to play Mos Def and Wu-Tang Clan for Thomas as a child as well.
He moved around a lot as a child. He graduated high school in 2015. When Thomas first started rapping, he was listening to a lot of A$AP Rocky, Tyler, the Creator, old Drake, and Lil Wayne.
Career
Thomas first began rapping and producing music in high school as a hobby.[2] He was apart of a hip-hop group called WFFW (Weirdos Forever Forever Weirdos.) He was the youngest rapper in the group at the time. They would record in his mom's garage.
He transitioned to a solo artist when he rapped and produced and released a song called "Flowcaine" as a 16-year-old high school senior in 2015. "Flowcaine" was the result of Marco writing a verse, going to class, and going straight to the studio. The song received a lot of attention in real life and online. Different schools in Orlando were consuming the song and showing the song a lot of love online. Popular music blog ELEVATOR reviewed the song, describing it as "addictive," adding that all it took was "one taste and you're hooked."[3] The positive reception resulted in Thomas taking music a little more serious. He went on to release his first project Studio Nights in 2015 along with another project the same year called Blue December. He performed one of his first shows at Backbooth in Orlando and sold the show out in 2016.[4]
In 2017, Thomas released the first single to his third project Marco SZN called "Motions."[5] Later that year, Thomas released his third project Marco SZN.[6] The project earned the artist a review on Passion of the Weiss, in which Harold Bingo writes, "there is production on Marco SZN that wouldn’t be out of place on a TDE project," "he leans into the R&B sounds of the moment," "you get the feeling he listens to a fair amount of Kendrick Lamar and SZA," "his 2018 output suggests that he’s developed a certain sense of self awareness about his own career," and "[the song] “Creepers” combines the aforementioned R&B sensibilities with animated rapping to create something greater than the sum of its parts."[7]
In 2018, Thomas was booked to join The Overdrive Tour with Colombia, Missouri rapper Oliver Francis and Tampa, Florida rapper Big Baby Scumbag.[8] Shortly thereafter, Thomas caught the eye of hip-hop festival Rolling Loud founders. They booked him to perform at the 5th annual Rolling Loud festival in May 2019 in Miami along with booking him at their Rolling Loud SXSW showcase in Austin in the same month.[9]
In March 2019, Thomas changed his recording alias from OTown Marco to Marco XO just before releasing the song "Mars" on March 8, 2019. Speaking on the switch, Marco said, “It’s more of a change in perspective, rather than a change of names. Otown always drew me to my hometown, but I wanted my name to stand for more than just that. Creatively, I want Marco XO to conceptualize ‘self-love.’ I want to remind myself, and my fans, that in order to grow and learn from mistakes, to give and receive love from others, you have to master self-love first.”[10][11][12][13][14][15]
Thomas released the first single "BRB" produced by Eem Tripilin off his then-forthcoming EP and 4th project.[16][17][18] On October 25, 2019, Thomas released the EP B.Y.E. to much critical acclaim.[19][20][21] Dyllon Adkerson of Enigmatic writes in his review the EP "showcased not only [Marco XO's] crazy lyricicm but also the ability to hit several flows in a single track." The EP was mixed and mastered by James Royo.[22]
In July 2020, Thomas released "Colors," a new single.[23][24][25] The single earned a placement in Audiomack's Hometown Heroes: Los Angeles playlist alongside Big Sean, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Cordae.[26]
Musical style
In a 2018 interview, Thomas said that he was getting into producing and that he was a producer at mind. He will bring producers into the studio and mold the beat along the producers.[27] In July 2020, Thomas was singled out by internationally-acclaimed music blog Earmilk for his "incredibly infectious tone," "charming melodies," and quickly improved pen melodies."[28]
Personal life
Thomas lives in Los Angeles, California.[29]
Discography
- Studio Nights
- Blue December
- Marco SZN
- B.Y.E
Social Media
Marco XO is on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.[30][31][32]
References
- ↑ "Marco XO - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Mixcloud". Mixcloud. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco "Flowcaine"". ELEVATOR. 2014-09-26. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO @ Backbooth". Bandsintown. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ Torres, Jack (2017-03-30). "Otown Marco – Motions". Daily Chiefers. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Exclusive: Meet Otown Marco, The Rising Artist From Florida". Daily Chiefers. 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "A Brief Primer to Orlando Rap". Passion of the Weiss. 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ ago, Jenny S. 1 year (2019-03-12). "SXSW: Artist showcases to be on the lookout for". Rhyme Junkie. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO (fka Otown Marco) Shares 'MARS' from Upcoming Album LUNA & Announces Official Name Change". Vents Magazine. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO - Mars (Official Music Video)". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Mars – [Marco XO]". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Marco XO back from 'Mars'". www.engmtc.co. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "BhramaBull Interviews LA comeup Artist Marco XO for his 99th Episode of #Gryndfestradio Podcast". The Hype Magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO – "Mars"". www.hip-hopvibe.com. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO Drops Highly Anticipated New Single". UK Hiphop Talk. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ admin (2019-10-08). "Marco XO - BRB". Brain Bakery. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ LLC, ENDS Media (2019-10-04). "Marco XO releases first single from upcoming EP". ENDS Music & ENT. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Looking Forward into Orlando's 2020 Hip Hop Scene". www.engmtc.co. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "B.Y.E - EP by Marco XO". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO Evolves Before Your Eyes with News EP". ELEVATOR. 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO Drops Highly Anticipated New Single". HipHop Magz. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO Unleashes New Melodic Single "Colors"". ELEVATOR. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO unveils his melodic new single, "Colors"". News Break. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO unveils his melodic new single, "Colors"". HipHopCnn. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Audiomack: Music Streaming and Sharing". audiomack.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Otown Marco Interview - The Mars Files". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Howard, Ashton (2020-07-15). "Marco XO unveils his melodic new single, "Colors"". EARMILK. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ Edwards, Derrius (2019-04-08). "Love Conquers All - The Marco XO Interview". Dirty Glove Bastard. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "https://twitter.com/marcoxo_". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-11-02. External link in
|title=(help) - ↑ "龙 (@marcoxo) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ↑ "Marco XO". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
External links
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