Messy Marv
In this interview Messy Marv talks about their latest album and more.
By William Hernandez
WHO?MAG: Tell to me about this new album called “Frank Lucas”. Messy Marv: “Da New Frank Lukas Dat Neva Wore Da Mink Coat”, dropped the album like 2 weeks ago. It hit I think number 30 on the iTunes charts, number 1 on the radio right now in retail, it’s basically just my fans wanted that ol’ Messy Marv is back. I kept hearing fans say, bring that ol’ mess back, reason being I been making my music for to appeal to the game on all side of the world man. So I took it back to ’93 on this newer side and the whole idea of the album. There’s a dude by the name of JT The Bigga Figga who made some false accusations on me and behaved in an informative manner on the situation with Frank Lucas with his situation. He got down on the police so on my situation, I’m getting down on his police ass guy, can you feel me? That’s how the title came about and it’s been doing real good man. Me all the tracks I got in my apartment from the Bronx that’s mine on one of them, rocking with me, Shout out to the BA, you feel me? It’s just good coke music through the whole album.
WHO?MAG: Who handles the production on the album? Messy Marv: Production is AD Poof Avenue and Seattle West Coast Stone from LA.
WHO?MAG: Do you have any other appearances on the album? Messy Marv: No, like I said, it’s me, I’m A track man, I’m writing the hooks, I’m writing the verses. I take it back to the old Mess, so people can kinda get an idea of Mess as an artist all over again. Sometimes as artists, we get caught up in the features and the guest appearances, so on this one I took it back to the old hip-hop element where I’m just rocking.
WHO?MAG: Tell about the new single you have out with Bleu Davinci , Warren G, and Gunplay, Messy Marv: Me, Gunplay, Warren G, and Bleu Davinci is actually the remix to my single “You Gotta Pay Me” which is on World Star. They can pull that up and watch that. I mean I think we have almost 200,000 views. It’s doing real good and we about to hit them with the remix with the homies and we rocking man. It’s gonna be a good look.
WHO?MAG: And how did you hook up with them? Warren G, Gunplay, and Bleu Davinchi? Messy Marv: Warren G, I grew up on Warren G man and Nate Dawg, rest in peace Nate Dawg. You know Warren G reached out to me. You know Gunplay of course the legendary Rick Ross who Mayback music is doing it’s thing right now. So it surprised me that Gunplay even listened to my music. So when he reached out to me, we talked and it blew my mind, so we hooked up on that note. Bleu Davinchi? I’ve been knowing Bleu for a while, so it kind of all came together AD on the track Poof Avenue and it’s gonna be some good coke music man
WHO?MAG: How did you get into rhyming? Messy Marv: How did I get into rhyming? It was my way of feeling. It started from poetry and me doing talent shows, with breakdancing when hip-hop was coming in real tough, I mean I was into the breakdancing than it went from that to the poetry to the talent shows to me actually sitting down writing songs. Just venting, because I was a problem child so that was my way of releasing what I had bottled up in me. So that’s how I started rocking. You see me rocking the mic.
WHO?MAG: Can you breakdown your writing process? How does it work? Do you wait for beat or do you come with ideas to a song? Messy Marv: I mean it depends. Some songs I don’t even write. I just get into the studio and just get in there and do it just based on how I’m feeling and other songs. I might be in my iPhone and just jotting down some of my ideas so later on I can get in there and get in the booth and write some stuff or write some rhymes and just be in the studio rhyming with the beat getting it that way so I’m all around honest. Don’t matter man. If I’m feeling it, I can get in the studio and knock it out and when I want to come up with a topic and get that beat on it I can do that too.
WHO?MAG: How important is San Francisco in your development as an artist? Messy Marv: San Francisco is very important in my development as a artist. That’s where it started. That’s where I came up. In the Fillmore District the western addition part of San Francisco. That’s where I seen it all. So definitely hold on to the Bay San Francisco, San Francisco Oakland. If it wasn’t for that place, I wouldn’t have nothing to talk about.
WHO?MAG: Who are some influences as an MC? Messy Marv: To be honest, I’m a street dude. I like BG. BG speaks my language from Cash Money, Baby from Cash Money, I mean the list go on. I’m still a consumer. I still walk in the store and actually buy discs so if artists got something hot out, I’m go in and buy it. But as far as my favorite MC’s, man if you got a hot album that may be my favorite MC at that time you, but if we’re talking about history, Gang Story was raw it would be all day for me to go all through it. Hip-Hop has been a big influence on me. Jigga, Jimmy Jones, like I said man, if your hot, you can be my favorite MC. As far as history, it’s some of the artists that I rock with man that’ll be in my CD player.
WHO?MAG: Alright, and what is your first memories of Hip-Hop? Messy Marv: My first memories of Hip-Hop was being in a breaking crew. Just going to different spots battling and breaking, cardboard, and rocking sweat suits and having fun man. That was my recollection of Hip-Hop right there.
WHO?MAG: What happened to the Bay Area Mob Sound? That it was known for where everybody was doing it back in the 90’s? Messy Marv: You know that’s what I did on this album. I took it back to that Bay Area Mob Sound because we had a different time and different age generation after generation. People grow up and grow out of things, so that’s exactly what I did. I brought back that 90’s sound and the Mob Sound. Ain’t no where it’s just people into different things and you grow out of things, but myself, that’s where my heart is so I bring that back one time on the new Frank Lucas album. So if you all want to hear that, go get that. Like I said, it’s doing real good. Been #1 for almost 3 weeks now so I feel real good about that. So let me know the mob sound is still what it is in my area. As well as the midwest and up north because they all supporting. I’m going to stick with this 90’s style, Mess the Coke Music Man and keep giving the people what they want to hear.
WHO?MAG: Aren’t you worried that Frank Lucas, the American Gangster, will come after you for using the name? Messy Marv: I didn’t use Luke’s name. My Frank Lukas is spelled F-R-A-N-K
L-U-K-A-S, so Frank doesn’t have a reason to come after me. I shouldn’t be worried about that situation because I’m not using Frank’s name and definitely not emulating nothing that happened in the American Gangster. It’s all game at the end of the day anyway. When you come from the streets, you made a good point. I’m not worried about that like I said. I’m not using Frank’s name, so we shouldn’t have a problem with them.
WHO?MAG: What are your thoughts on E-40? Messy Marv: Successful Bay Area trophy. He seems to know how to get in when it’s time to get in and do his thing. Shout out to E-40.
WHO?MAG: And how about the Luniz? Messy Marv: My thoughts on the Luniz’s are grinders, hustlers, that been through the struggle and things of that nature that kept going still around today making good music showing improvement. They’re doing their thing. Good people and good artists.
WHO?MAG: Who are some of the other MCs out of San Francisco? Messy Marv: Myself, and IMB Ellis, MC from San Francisco
WHO?MAG: And tell me about the “Seventeen Reasons” compilation you are on in ’98. How did that come about? Messy Marv: 1998 Seventeen Reasons was a big compilations for my career cooked up with the homies. Me and Quinn having business and being fam, he reached out and that’s how it landed on that soundtrack and that helped a lot. Definitely took me to an other place as far as Hip-Hop in 1998. Shout out to Gotos and Black-N- Brown for Seventeen Reasons.
WHO?MAG: And how did you get your name Messy Marv? Messy Marv: Messy Marv came from the Garbage Pail Kids back in the day. I don’t know if you remember them cards. They were real popular back in the 80’s and it was just something that stuck with me. It carried on into Hip-Hop and today.
WHO?MAG: What’s next for you? Messy Marv: I have a clothing line Scalen Clothing which launched last year. It’s been doing real good. I’m about to come out with a new line under my brand Scalen Clothing and the name of the line is Champagne Socialist and that should surface real soon. Scalen Films, I just started that. That’s the film division in my label Scalen. We just shot a freestyle video type of film called “72 Hours” and it’s me in Atlanta for 3 days filming the making of my new LP. It’s real good. You can pull that up on Youtube on video to watch that. I’ve been relevant for seventeen years now so that’s another thing that Mess to stay relevant and to keep trying and to become a better entertainment man and a better person and father and the whole 9.
WHO?MAG: Alright and what fond memories you have of Mac Dre? Messy Marv: When Mac Dre first got out the Fizz, him and his homeboy D, who was a friend of mine to as well, rest in peace Mac Dre, but we met at the pool hall and that’s with some Versace shirts and I had my Versace shirt on and we flicking it up in the picture booth and we said these numbers or whatever and the rest is history. We did a few songs, did some shows. I truly missed man so yeah shout out to Dre.
WHO?MAG: Any last words you want to add? Messy Marv: Go get “Da New Frank Lukas Dat Neva Wore Da Mink Coat” support the new single “You Gotta Pay Me” and remix to the single “You Gotta Pay Me” featuring Warren G, Bleu Davinchi, and Gunplay make sure you log in to my Twitter @theboyboymess and be on the lookout for the Scalen Clothing Line coming this year. Also, www.scalellc.com is the website and my Facebook is theboyboyyoungmess.