Marvo

*WARNING* Please read part 1 and part 2 before you continue.

Howie McDuffie, a music industry insider greets Marvo and Creature. McDuffie owns a record label, Howie McDuffie Music
Group ─ and has done artist development for Mos Def, WU-Tang, Big Pun, etc. He admires the gumption Marvo and Creature show as independent artists.

“These guys are the truth. These guys are moving more units than probably a commercial artist like Chamillionaire,” McDuffie said. “Chamillionaire is platinum, but if him, Jay-Z, Jada Kiss, went on the corner and did this shit, I think fans would look at them a little different.”

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Creature

*WARNING* Read part 1 before you continue.

Creature and Marvo migrate during the day, like H The Great. However, they mainly stay in the West Village.
As if instantly on cue, Aerz Nights, an A&R rep for up-and-comer, Skyzoo, appeared in front of the group. He heard what Creature said and was ironically coming from 14th Street, where he almost had an altercation with one of the “Neanderthals.”

“It’s funny because I see them messing with people all the time, but they don’t usually be messing with me like that,” said Aerz. “But today I was really about to hurt dude.”

Aerz says the “Neanderthal” who got out of line with him tried to force him to buy a CD by demanding so in a hostile tone of voice. He also flexed as if he were going to push or throw a punch. An altercation did not ensue, but for the most part, what Creature describes as being an artistpreneur is more refined and respectable. Marvo, who has been a full-time artistpreneur for a little over a year, says that he originally did not respect people who are doing what he’s doing today.
“Before I started doing this, I used to come to Fat Beats and walk past the Virgin Mega Store, and I used to be embarrassed for the dudes that was doing this,” Marvo says. “I would look down on the dudes that were doing this but now, I can say that this is the best job I ever had.”

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Have you ever been approached by an unknown rapper on the street, trying to sell you his music? This is the true story of their hustle. I spent some time with a couple of rappers that I met and gained new insight on what they do for a living. It was originally intended for a magazine, but it never got picked up. Instead, I posted it up on hiphopdx.com. But I love the story so much, I decided to give it new life and repost. Enjoy…

Hustling is not a foreign concept to the Hip-Hop culture. Numerous references to “the hustle” and “the struggle” by various rappers can be found on vinyl, disc, MP3s or anywhere Hip-Hop is sold. Some hustles are illegal, others are legit, but the concept surmounts simply being recorded and transcends into reality. H the Great, Marvo (formerly known as Marvalous) and Creature are living proof.

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