Marcus Yates weekly update: February 2015

I got a moment to sit down with Marcus about his plans for the new year and what 2015 has in store for him. Take a moment to check out what's coming ahead for Marcus Yates. 

Lettey: Let's take a moment to step back into 2014 and see what's been going on with you. How was your thanksgiving? Any special traditions your family takes part in? 

Marcus: I had a cool Thanksgiving, had a blast with my family. Me and some of the older cousins went to a bar, turnt up, and I don't remember much after that. 

Lettey: Sounds like a fun time. How is the album coming along and what are you currently working on? 

Marcus: I'm currently working on a video for my first single. Getting that knocked out here soon. The song I'm on right now is one that I'm doing with my homie Gee Watts from here in KC and another one I'm working on is with my sister Queen Eboneesaid. It's gonna be real FONKY. 

Lettey: Any new artists jumping on this album we haven't heard about yet? 

Marcus: Haven't gotten that far into picking artists except the obvious artists who automatically fit. 

Lettey: What does the new year have in store for you? Any plans for changes, improvements, or new ventures?

Marcus: I'm gonna finish the album and then learn the bass guitar. 

Lettey: That sounds like a great venture. Moving forward past the recent holiday season, is there anything about the Christmas season your particularly fond of? 

Marcus: Nothing out of the ordinary, just spending time with family. 

Lettey: Will the new year bring new merchandise for your fans? Maybe t-shirts or hoodies? 

Marcus: I've been in the talks, but almost everyone I talk to about it has wack ideas so far. I hate that shit. SMH. So still working on that.

Lettey: Well hopefully you find something that works. Your fan base has increased from 250 likes on Facebook to 1114 in the past year alone, how do you feel about this and what do you hope for going into 2015 and beyond? 

Marcus: I just wanna give the fans some thing new to listen to. 

Lettey: Do you have a New Years Resolution?

Marcus: To do an joint EP with Tech N9ne. For the new year I plan on having more of my work outside of rapping displayed on a major level. And it just goes up from there. I really wanna show people how free I was when I was away with my friends in Florida. That freedom will be show cased actually, I'm letting it be known. 

Lettey: When you say make that freedom known, how do you mean? Musically or in other areas? 

Marcus: Musically, but music is my life. We, as musicians ad artists, are good at symbolism. So someone can find freedom, in something, from hearing our music without limits. 

Lettey: Looking back at 2014, what would you say was the most memorable times you'll never forget? Any memories your glad to leave behind? 

Marcus: The mini tour, run during the summer, was cool with Krizz Kaliko and Makzilla. That was in the Northwest. I never would have found out about Port Townsend without that tour. There's nothing bad that I would wanna leave behind though. 

Lettey: What did you do at midnight on New Year's Eve? 

Marcus: I recorded some vocals for my album. Holidays Schmolidays haha. Like, they're there and a good way to stay connected with family, but everyday is a holiday. No cliche. 

Lettey: Let's give the fans something new about you to start 2015 with. What's something the fans may not know about you that would surprise them? 

Marcus: I took ballet for four years. Best thing I ever did to my body. 

Lettey: Well 2015 is already turning out in your favor. With talk about your upcoming album and EP with Tech N9ne, your new years resolution is already coming to completion. The fans are anxiously waiting what you put out this year and we see a bright future for Marcus Yates, a man with a vision and the freedom to make it a reality. 

Working Hard and Living Life: Interview with Marcus Yates 7.1.14

Lettey: Good Morning Marcus. Hope your doing well. Tell everyone what's been going on with you. What are you up to and working on these days. 

Marcus: Good morning Lette. I'm doing great. I've been composing and mixing. Getting my camera fixed to direct videos, and mainly mixing has been consuming most of my time. If I was just rapping I'll probably be performing, but the mix is more important. Oh, but I do have a couple of shows coming up with Krizz Kaliko too that I'm preparing for as well. 

Lettey: Tell us more about those shows.

Marcus: It's a 6 show run. I still don't know all 6 shows, but I know Seattle and Portland are two of them. 

Lettey: Tell us how you're getting through the recent loss in your family. Who's supporting you through this time?

Marcus: Everyone is getting through it well. She was such a big chunk of the soul in the Yates family and the service was so uplifting. She was definitely smiling. 

Lettey: Tell us about your new project. How's it coming along and what have you been working on? 

Marcus: I'm working on this CRAZY track right now. I'm thinking about it being the single. I can't leave it alone. I keep playing with it. The project is gonna be so wonderful. 

Lettey: Who have you been working with on this project lately? Any plans for any new guest spots? 

Marcus: Just Tech so far. I probably might work on something with Krizz. It has to all align though. Macy has to happen. There's just no way it can't. I don't wanna be the one just putting people on tracks because its there. It's ALL about quality this go around and I'm not settling for less. 

Lettey: Do you have an expected release date for the project?

Marcus: No not yet, it's next year though. 

Lettey: What are your plans for music videos with this project?

Marcus: I'm gonna finish the songs first and submit them to other visionaries and bounce some ideas around about it. 

Lettey: Do you have any words of encouragement for artists out there wanting to make it happen?

Marcus: Yeah, and this might be rude motivation but..."Shut the fuck up and GO!" haha

MARCUS SPITS THE TRUTH WEEKLY BLOG

This week I checked in with Marcus about how the new album is going and what he has in store for us.

Lettey: Tell me what your working on this week. 

Marcus: This week I'm working with a couple producers from Michigan. The Seventh, Joose, and Mozaic. When I went to Grand Rapids last week, we all vibed and bounced around ideas. So now we're sending loops back and forth, writing verses, placing sounds in tracks to give the tracks elite sounds, and just being great. Also placed some scratches on the track I produced for Lena Chanel.DJ Omega scratched for it. Much love to him cause everyone was telling me he doesn't fuck with a lot of people.You need people like that, that means they know in detail about being elite. 

I also did a feature with Michigan rapper Famos Aame. He gave me some real, in ya mouth facts in his verse and that song is completed. Been back and forth about whether it should be the single. 

Lettey: Any sneak peaks or clips for the new album coming up? 

Marcus: Um, no more clips until it's in it's entirety. I'll show everyone once it's finished.

Lettey: Do you have any shows coming up or appearances to let the fans know about? 

Marcus: Still no shows right now. I'm gonna work on setting a few things up with local promoters to do shows once the project is done. 

Lettey: What is one thing that has grown you as an artist this week?

Marcus: Simply just doing what I plan to do. I think I'm in cruise mode as far as mixing, placing extras to beef the tracks up, and connecting subject matter. I'm doing pretty good as far as not sounding redundant by being only a rapper who is better than anyone. I like how I'm tapping into my different styles. 

Lettey: Where and how did you get your inspiration while in Michigan? 

Marcus: AGO had an open arm energy soon as I got there. We were just bouncing ideas off of each other. Great recognize great. Easy. 

Lettey: Little change of pace for the fans, what's your favorite food? 

Marcus: My favorite food, hmmm I don't know. I'm allergic to peanuts and shellfish and I don't eat pork, so anything outside of that is cool. Working on dismissing meats and dairies altogether and going straight Vegan, but that's a process. 

Lettey: When life gets stressful, what do you do to unwind and get comfort? 

Marcus: When I'm stressing I meditate on being great, read something informative, talk to my close ones. I used to smoke, but being high started getting boring. So I just tap into my inner great and be. 

Lettey: What would be one major change you would make in the world if you could? 

Marcus: My answer for this question changes all the time, and honestly, I wouldn't change anything. If you know you're born to be great, just be great already. I used to get so caught up and dwelling on the negative and by doing that I attracted the negative to me. So I would just change me for the better. Folks are gonna be bad regardless cause great folks need something to decipher from. 

Check in next week for more questions and answers from Marcus Yates. 

Marcus Tells All weekly Blog

It's Tuesday and Marcus is working hard on creating and appreciating music all around him. Marcus took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for the fans. 

Lettey: Good morning Marcus. So the fans are excited for and anticipating this new project you have coming out. What are you currently working on with the album and who are you listening to musically for inspiration? 

Marcus: Hey morning Lettey. So right now I'm about 5 concepts/songs into the project. I'm just working on tightening up the mixes. I'm adding little things to make those tracks bigger. Right now I'm listening to Ratatat for that beauty in their electric guitar mixes. I'm trying to find how I can change how people listen to certain instruments. 

Lettey: What musical experience has most influenced you over the last 5 years and who has been a big mentor to your during that time? 

Marcus: The past 5 years...hmmm... Well within the last 4 years it's been my creative family from college. The experiences I've had with those people are priceless. From finding myself to finding my inner funk, it truly was a blessing meeting them all. 

Lettey: If you could have anyone do a guest spot on the album, who would it be and why? 

Marcus: Macy Gray. I actually need her on this album. Like yesterday!! She fits the texture, other than that, Tech definitely. My creative family, Clergy, some of the homies from AGO and that's about it. But yes, Macy Gray for sure. 

Lettey: If any major label were to offer you a contract, who would you be excited to hear from and why? 

Marcus: If I start my own label, I'll offer myself a contract (haha). It's so confusing with this music business, Lette. Which is so unnecessary. 

Thanks for taking time to answer some questions with us and until next week. 

Marcus Releases New Song with Every Chiefs Victory!

Most people know that Marcus Yates  is a Kansas City Chiefs fan, as most respecting people are. So in honor of his loyalty to the team and to his commitment to the game, Marcus is releasing a new song from his upcoming project Dark Taupe Schemata with every Kansas City Chiefs victory!

This week, for Sunday's amazing victory over the Raiders, Marcus released a new song called "Sicksinoh."
Click HERE to listen.


Now if we could just get the KC cheerleaders to sing/cheer to his song on the field, then we would be set!

SOMETHING ELSE TOUR PHOTOS