An Interview with Marto
The 16-year-old rapper, Marto, is only just starting his career. Born and raised in Vancouver BC, Marto has learned to produce his own music and, since early 2018, has shared his music on SoundCloud. With the rise of his singles titled 1take and Dazed (ft. Emilio), Marto has used his music as a method of growth, each song maturing with him. Most recently, releasing his song skrt with fellow rapper, Emilio, was released on his SoundCloud. As someone who expresses themselves using music, Marto wants people to do things for themselves instead of focusing on the trend behind it.
Describe yourself as an artist
I just do things.
What made you become a rapper?
One day I just saw this Ugly God video and I was like “dude that’s sick” because it wasn’t super serious. Then more and more it became more about making art and not rapping because I just saw other cool artists. I draw inspiration, but I don’t take things and make it my own, per se, I just try to come up with things from scratch and not base it off of someone else cause then it’s not really mine.
Who are some of those inspirations?
I love Anderson Paak, Mac Miller and, I don’t listen to them as much anymore, but I love Erykah Badu and Sadé. Obviously, Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt. I also love Lil Tracy and Uzi.
Who are your supporters?
Honestly, my friends. I also recently found out there’s hella people that I don’t know that listen to my music as well. I didn’t realize that there were any other people that listened to me.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to face in becoming a rapper?
People think that I’m white and I don’t think that should change anything but I’m not white, I’m not fully white. I’ve had to deal with stage fright and I didn’t think that it’d be scared of that until the first time I had to perform. I was hella fucking scared. I was thinking about how all the people are hearing this weird little kid rapping songs, it’s just super weird. The thing with rapping though is that I never have to second guess myself, I just know.
Do you have any competition?
It’s not competition, it’s just other people who do the same thing as me. Well, they don’t exactly do the same thing as me, everyone has a different way of seeing it, mine is very different. That’s why I don’t really have competition, I’m not trying to compete, I’m just trying to make things that people like.
What’s the process of making a song?
Just me sitting in my room and being bored and either, looking for a beat, making a beat, or having a beat be sent to me and then just listening to that for an hour and writing something and then recording it at my friend’s house. Then, I’ll put it out one day.
What are the pros and cons of being a rapper?
A pro is when people sing your songs in public, if I’m with a friend, they’ll mention a song. A couple of weeks ago I was with a friend at Starbucks and he said to the barista “you know this guy’s a rapper?” and started playing my songs. I just felt super weird. Being a rapper is really weird. It’s sometimes pretty weird and awkward, but it’s not cause it just means I’m getting recognized. Another pro though, is that I can just say things that others can’t really say. I can express myself better.
Can you describe your sound?
It varies depending on my mood. If I’m super lit and I’m happy, I’ll make some turnt shit. Most recently, I’m just bored and sad, so I’ll make some moody shit. So, my sound just revolves on however I’m feeling. Whatever I’m feeling is whatever I make.
Is there one person that you’d like to collaborate with?
Smino! He’s coming to Vancouver, April 4th and he’s dope. Saba, Noname, all of them!
What is a misconception that people have about SoundCloud rap?
It’s not a misconception about Soundcloud rap, because Soundcloud rap just is what it is. It’s just when a bunch of people make the same shit and trying to label themselves as different. The biggest misconception though is when people think I’m doing it just because it’s cool or because it’s a trend. That’s a misconception about that and not about me. A misconception about me is that I’m one of those Soundcloud rappers. I made music before that whole Soundcloud thing was a thing. I just did it cause I thought it was sick and people thought it was cool so I kept doing it.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Homeless and broke.
What is a short-term goal and a long-term goal?
Short term goal: Fix my sleep schedule. Long term goal: at least drop something that’s decent because I’m not proud of any of the music I’ve made so far. So, I release music… that’s decent and also hopefully one day a music video. That’s it.
What steps do you have to make to get to those goals?
Tire myself during the day so I can sleep earlier. And then, consider that it’ll all just come to me. I know that if I try to force something, it’s not gonna work. The motivation comes and goes but it’ll all fall into place if it’s meant to happen. There’s not really steps to having faith.
What is your favorite song that you have made and why have you made it?
Mood! It’s called mood because that’s how I was feeling. And it’s actually really really relatable for me. A lot of people said it was really good, but it doesn’t have as much plays as a lot of my other songs, but it’s just my favorite. It’s my most artistic one to date.
When people listen to your music, what do you want them to feel or how do you expect them to feel?
What I was feeling when I made it. Music is a feeling and if you don’t omit that feeling well enough, it’s just sounds that are doo.