Marlon Craft - “Gang Shit”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 9

Pairs Well With…Nas, Joey Bada$$, Isaiah Rashad

After four prolific years of EPs and mixtapes, NYC rapper Marlon Craft released his proper debut LP Funhouse Mirror in 2019 and his studied approach pays off through tight flows and production throughout the collection. Classic hip hop with slices of soul, jazz, gospel, and funk form the foundation of Craft’s beats, smoothly composed to let his lyrically-rich content rise to front. His songs tend to be thinkers too, politically minded even beyond the put-on-other-hats perspectives of highlight “Gang Shit”, whether going for global themes (“Right Now”) or just stories from walking the block like Dizzy Wright collaboration “Shallow”. (Kevin McStravick)