MARVEL opening for
SLUM VILLAGE at the Comfort
Zone (480 Spadina), Saturday (May 19).
$19.50 advance. 416-760-3332.
Rating: NNNNN
You’d think that rising MC/producer Marvel’s membership in the mighty Toronto hiphop cliques the Circle and FOS would have its benefits.With producers like Saukrates and Kardinal Offishall around, beats wouldn’t be a problem. Neither would celebrity guest spots, with top players like Choclair, Jully Black and Tara Chase only a phone call away.
“No, definitely not,” Marvel laughs. “I’ve been producing just as long as Sox and Kardi. We actually came together and formed FOS back in the day, so we’re all on the same level.
“I have all these options of people to work with, but I try to keep most of my business in-house and do my own stuff.”
Marvel’s two-pronged beats and rhymes attack can be heard on his new single, Throw This Ball, which is getting heavy play on turntables around town. An album is on the way later this summer, and in all sincerity, Marvel hopes you’ll like it. If you don’t, though, he won’t be let down.
“I’m all just about satisfying myself,” he admits. “It’s totally selfish, but that’s the way I like it.
“There are a lot of things that I could do to make my music sound like other people’s, but that’s not what any of us are about. We’re all very tough critics of our own music, and nothing weak gets by.”
