The Brooklyn native, Amari Mar has been paying homage to legends like Marley Marl and Melle Mel with more than just his stage name. In fact, his lyrical abilities are deeply influenced by artists such as them, along with lyrical geniuses like Nas, Rakim, Wu Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, and The Notorious Big. His entrance into the music world rests upon studying their flow and top-notch bars. With his natural love for music, it only sparked a bigger fire for the genre and soon he would follow the path to stamp his name among the best to ever do it. By the age of 16 he was penning rhymes of his and narrowing his focus on manifesting his career as a lyricist.
Amari would pattern his dedication to the craft after Rakim’s voice, wordplay and lyrical dexterity, and Nas’ multidimensional rhyming and storytelling. He went from an A grade school student on average, to an A-list Emcee in the booth and is proving it with the release of his latest album, “Grand Rising.” The project is Amari’s 3rd and his first album dating back to 2013. Since its release into the world on March 26th, 2021, “Grand Rising” has lit one hell of a buzz with the fire that can be heard within its tracks. Fans have given the project 5 stars and have been unable to stop talking about the level of talent that Amari brings to the table.
He has been on a high, riding the wave of the album’s positive feedback. The timing of “Grand Rising” was perfect in nature and the compliments reflect just that. Amari has been doing the groundwork to continue promotion of the project while collaborating with other artists to bring more heat to the masses. Check out the Brooklyn spitter and stream his catalog of hits.
Today we had an exclusive chance to interview Amari Mar:
What is your stage name and how did you come up with it?
My stage name is Amari Mar. It’s short for Amari Marvelous which my cousin came up with once he knew I went by Amari Mar. My legal first name is Amari so I just added the “Mar” as a twist from my first name and as a way to pay homage to “Marley Marl” and “Melle Mel”.
Where are you from?
I’m a native New Yorker from Brooklyn, in which I currently reside at. I grew up in Brownsville and parts of East New York. At one point I was living in Upstate NY in Ulster County, about 10 mins away from Poughkeepsie. I was living out there for about 9 years then I eventually moved back to Brooklyn.
Why did you first start making music?
I was an avid music listener since I was young kid growing up. But once I started listening to rap and hip hop music, it inspired me to eventually pick up the pen and start writing. Being inspired by Nas, Rakim, Wu Tang Clan,Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Biggie just to name a few made me want to start rapping. It wasn’t till I turned about 15 or 16 years old where I started writing rhymes and taking it more serious then.
Who would you say inspired you the most as an artist?
It’s a toss up between Rakim and Nas that inspired me the most. Rakim’s voice,wordplay and lyrical dexterity always stood out to me. Before there was such thing as flow,that conversation never came up till Rakim came into the picture. Nas album Illmatic has to be one of if not the greatest album to exist in this plane of existence. The way Nas was rhyming was different and added some new dimensions along with his story telling which I can see why people called him the second coming of Rakim at the time. Both of them really influence me a great deal.
Are you religious? If yes,what is your religion?
I don’t consider myself religious. I’m more spiritual and connect to my higher self. I believe in a higher power and God is in me. I don’t knock anybody for their religious belief but I feel some people are following rituals but not understanding who they are and what their true purpose is. Ultimately I feel all religion leads to the same path just different ways of getting to the destination. The TRUTH and getting to know who we are spiritually is what we all want to seek once we break away from social engineering and conditioning and start looking inside ourselves for the answers.
What were your grades like at school?
For the most part I was I was a A,B student. In Junior High School, I was part of the gifted program and used to make the silver honor roll getting anywhere from mid to high 80s. It seem like 3rd semester I would slack up a little but I would pull up my grades once I got to the 4th and final semester.
If you could listen to 3 albums for the rest of your life, what would they be?
That’s a hard one just to narrow it down to 3 because there are so many influential groundbreaking albums that exist in any genre. If I had to choose, it would be Public Enemy’s “It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back”. Nas Illmatic and Raekwon’s Only Built For Cubin Linx.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
I remember one day in 7th grade in Junior High, I skipped my 9th period class with a couple of friends which was towards the end of the day where students that were not part of the gifted program got to go home after 8th period. I skipped class and i called into the principals office the next day. I had to call my mother and explained to her why I skipped school that day. Fortunately I didn’t get suspended but looking back it was funny.
What is your latest release?
My latest release is Grand Rising which is my 3rd project and first album since 2013. The Grand Rising album came out March 26 2021. I’ve been receiving high praises and positive feedback for the album and people have been supporting it. I feel this is my best work to date and releasing the album around the time I did was perfect timing.
What are you focusing your time on now?
Right now my main focus is pushing and promoting my latest release while also working on some collabs and doing features for other artist. If I’m not doing anything music related, I like to chill and vibe out to music,catch up on some reading or watch YouTube videos from my favorite YouTubers. Sometimes I like being in solitude,other times I like being around great energy and good company. I just try to live normal and enjoy the simple things I’m life.
LINKS
https://smarturl.it/AmariMar-GrandRisingamarimar
Natalia is a Rap and Hip Hop enthusiast. After graduating from The New School of New York’s Public Relations Program and taking a course in Journalism at Michigan State University, she decided to dedicate her life to the music publishing business and to the discovery of new talent. She helps new artists gain exposure to the masses via online marketing and publications.
