“Music is everything. It’s how I vent, it’s how I get things off of my chest, it’s how I free my mind. It’s that feeling you get that makes you sing and dance to your favorite song, that feeling when you hear it come on in the club, that passion that’s expressed and how you feel when you hear it. When I create music, I don’t worry how other people will view or judge it, because at the end of the day my music is like a big diary. When I’m done writing my mind is clear, I feel relieved and I can go on with my life. I also get to sing and dance to it when I hear it too. There’s no better feeling than sitting in the studio and hearing a banger that you just created.”

This is what music means to local rapper and songwriter Marsellis McGowan aka M.A.R.S who is making connections all around the city and beyond with his melodic beats and clever rap style that reminds me of a combination of rappers Common and Kanye West.

Born and raised on Rochester’s west side, by a single mother and grandmother, M.A.R.S got his first introduction to music in the third grade where he played the trombone. He put down his instrument and picked up a pen and began songwriting at the tender age of 12 where he developed his skills as a songwriter.

“I started writing and free styling music so those poems and stanzas slowly turned into hooks and 16’s.”

The lack of a true father figure in his life led him to the street life of the city. M.A.R.S said his music saved him and he can reflect on his past through his music. 

“I learned a lot of things the hard way, being in the streets and dealing drugs, seeing people killed in front of me, losing people close to me. My music is a representation of the struggle that I have been through.”

There are several different types of rappers in the music industry. Conscious rappers, mixtape rappers, commercial rappers and gangster rappers are just a few on the list. M.A.R.S said he can be all types based on the song. But he tries to keep it as positive.

“…My style does not have a type, I try to cover every topic that I have lived or experienced. I can be hood, political, and religious at times, record a song with 100 bars like a mix tape rapper, and still make songs for the ladies all in one album and be successful at it. I try to make sure there is something for everybody on the material that I put out. Most of my music is positive, about striving forward when times get tough and about bettering yourself. I make that “feel good” music. Like “new old school.” I try to separate myself with my music by having a broad genre of topics, using samples and melodies from different genres such as pop and rock, and by thoroughly thinking out the concepts and ideas that I use to make music.”

M.A.R.S attributes his inspiration to multi-platinum rap artists T.I., Jadakiss and rap icon Jay-Z. “I believe every rapper has been influenced by Jay Z whether they tell you that they have been or not. His lyrics, his stories, and the way he always stays on top of the game. He’s a great rapper and even better businessman. I always wanted to be Jay Z growing up. I would love to work with Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Fabolous, 2 Chainz, Andre 3000. I would love to work with singers like Frank Ocean or Jeremih.”

M.A.R.S has performed locally at the Auditorium Center and Water Street Music Hall. He’s also graced stages in New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia. He says his greatest accomplishment has been the outlets to which his music has been spread.

“…I may not have a deal now, but once my material is complete I have the connects established to get my music heard by the masses. I have had my music on some of the biggest and upcoming sites such as Brobible.com and thatnewjam.com and I have music on MTV’s web site as we speak. I have been contacted by college radio throughout the country asking for permission. I just recently ended internship at BMG. Because of these sites, my audience has been growing and people want to hear more from me.

M.A.R.S is currently recording music and getting prepped for his album release “The Double Bind,” as well as getting ready to go back to grad school. He said he will always be connected to his Rochester roots and will stay true to the man that he is.

“…Rochester has made me who I am today. The way that I think, the way that I adapt, and the way that I handle things all derive from the town I was raised in and our ties will never change. We are on the map once I get a deal. I never speak on anything that I have not or will not ever do. I will not lie about who I am, what I have done and where I came from. Anybody who knows me knows that there is no difference between Marsellis McGowan the person and M.A.R.S the rapper. I love to have fun, love to live life.