After having a chance to talk with Mark Saunders, it’s clear this Bronx-native is bringing a refreshing vibe to the rap scene. Honestly, this dude is so sweet and genuine. Before we even got a chance to get into questions about him, he made sure to give Firefly our flowers. And as an entrepreneur and oftentimes 1-person team, I really appreciate Mark’s acknowledgement. This is the purpose for the platform!
So yes, he’s humble indeed but let’s not get it twisted or be confused. Mark Saunders is a rapper’s rapper. He’s well versed in all the rap legends and could probably go toe-to-toe with some of your favorite OGs. I mean Mark said it himself:
“I’m the new and improved Lil Wayne & Nasir”
-#soundcloudrapper
And we can’t be surprise by this, Mark is from the birthplace of hip-hop, the Bronx, New York. And the roots of the genre can be heard through the cadence, the beat, and the subject matter of his music. He’s got hard hitting punchlines and classic east coast, record-scratching saxophone beat production. Hip-Hop since its conception has been used as an outlet for expressing struggles and non-conformity and this rapper is no exception to that. Mark speaks on an array of very real subjects in his music. From the unfortunate passing of his mother, all the way to the inequity in rent costs. This type of relatability combined with his authentic nature is what his fans want to connect with.
“Isn’t this our land, Lord? So why my landlord, asking where his rent at?”
-ONE TRAIN, Mark Saunders
And it’s been a long time coming for him to transform into the artist that we see today. It can be easy to see the finished “product” and assume it was all based on natural talent or luck or special connections. But this would take away the many years of hard work Mark has put in to refine his craft. The rapper has been writing music since he was 12. He’s in his late 20s now so we’re looking at around 15 years of writing practice. His writing talents stem from a combination of natural talent and trained skill. When he was younger, he participated in a writing camp. He was in a bit of a “perfectionist state” and would ask his English professor to check his literary devices. Mark was able to take those perfectionist tendencies to the booth. When recording his music, he puts himself through the same type of rigorous writing process.
“Emcees now freestyle, but I’m very intentional with every single line.”
Mark’s songwriting process is one of dedication and patience. It sometimes takes him months or even years to finish a song. He says this is because he has so many lyric ideas and thoughts that he’s not always able to get down all at once.
He finds inspiration from a diverse cast of rap legends such as Lil Wayne, Nas, Outkast, XXXTENTACION, Jay-Z, Eminem, and so many more. For Nas in particular, his favorite projects are Illmatic & Stillmatic. For Lil Wayne, he noted his favorites to include classics like Tha Carter II and Dedication 2 all the way to newer joints like No Ceilings. Lil Wayne is Mark’s all time favorite emcee. He appreciates Wayne’s creative literary devices and wordplay. This admiration led to his desire to transform Wayne’s beats into his own. This is what sparked the “Push the Needle” series.
Mark Saunders’ “Push the Needle” projects are a series of SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes where Mark has “the freedom to spaz on any instrumental without restrictions”. They’re a challenge for him to push his pen to its limits. These raps include beats from artists like Kenny Mason, Dave East, Doja Cat, Young Nudy, J. Cole, X, and more. All of these artists have varying sounds, so his “Push the Needle” projects really highlight Mark’s creative ability and versatility.
Directing Career
This rapper’s creativity extends beyond the pen, as he’s directed several of his music videos. Mark says he’s really into cinematography and often pairs up with his friend and creative director Lu to help get his vision out. From Mark’s perspective, it’s not the visuals that are complementing the music, but actually the other way around. The music is complementing the visuals.
“You shouldn’t have a song that you can’t pair a visual with.”
Beyond simple music videos, Mark has also directed and starred in short film titled, “Bruddahood”, which he wrote when he was 14. The 15-minute film is paired with the song of the same name which features a plethora of other hard hitting New York rappers.
Although Mark Saunders may make it look easy, being seen on camera used to be a challenge. He describes his child persona as, “a young bad ass kid”. He was no stranger to the camera and was always seen on video dancing. But when he went through a stage of depression, Mark lost himself from reality. When he came back from the other side of this depressive episode, he no longer knew how to engage and be seen. But Mark understood that for his rap career, being on camera was a requirement. He pushed through the uncomfortable feelings of being perceived and overcame this insecurity. Through this journey he’s gotten back to where he needs to be.
Music Marketing
If you’ve taken at look at Mark Saunders’ social media these days, it’s clear he’s far from camera shy now. His consistency with social media promotion has been amazing. His content is high quality and approached from an intelligent standpoint. He’s been using instagram reels to promote music he’s made as far back as 5 years ago. This is why I stress to artists the importance of timeless music. It doesn’t matter if a song is old. If it’s quality and something people can vibe to it, then there’s no end to your ability to make new social content to promote it.
“I don’t want to create music that’s based in a time capsule or [that’s] a facade of who I am, instead of the person I am at the root.”
So what can other independent artists take out of Mark’s marketing playbook? He says that the key should always be achieving understanding from others. People enjoy the artist’s story and will subscribe to who you are.
The Independent Artist Grind
Marketing yourself and your music is no easy feat. The challenges can be especially present as an independent artist. And Mark is no stranger to the highs and lows of the independent journey. He wants other independent artists to understand that in order to get through the tough times, you truly have to love the craft and the music you’re making. Mark’s journey is a testament to this sentiment. 10 months ago, he was fired from his job on Wall Street. Although he was broke, he recognized there’s always two sides to a coin. With the extra free time, he locked in, invested in a camera, and betted on himself. Family thought he was crazy but he chose to believe in himself anyway. His will power combined with his networking abilities brought results.
Taking the step to believe in yourself, even when others aren’t is no easy task. But pushing through these struggles has paid off for Mark. He says that people can appreciate an artist that’s putting their foot on the gas. And it’s true. Everyone loves an underdog story because it’s authentic and oftentimes relatable. As far as his image, Mark feels he’d be wasting people’s time if he never showed his fails and only portrayed himself like some type of perfect artist.
“I have to show myself in a human light.”
This rapper’s story is inspiring to all entrepreneurs and independent artists. But there’s 1 thing he truly wants people to take away from his music. Well, 2 things actually. First, persist against any obstacles and understand that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. While talent is important, Mark wants to remind all that you have the ability to become skillful with dedication. Second, the rapper wants people to know that his music is “everyday human music”. People like him and people going through some real shit can relate to his art.
Final Thoughts with Mark Saunders
Mark Saunders’ authenticity and genuineness shines through both his music and when speaking to him. This extends beyond just his art. To close out this insightful conversation, the final question posed was, what’s something you wish people cared more about?
“I wish people cared about humanity more”.
According to him, if this was a cohesive thought amongst other people, the world would be a better place. But of course, this isn’t the philosophy or outlook on life that everyone has. He shared his experiences with backlash from his genuine intentions. Sometimes they’re misinterpreted for him having ulterior motives. But regardless, Mark tries to always come off as pure and genuine as possible. So even when he’s riding on the one train all day, he’s practicing compassion even for the homeless people who others often ignore or feel jaded by. This is because, “you never know someone’s position”.
Now who are some Bronx and NYC artists Mark Saunders wants to put you on to? First, be on the lookout for Lucky Banks. He’s a popping artist and dancer who makes uptempo dance music. He’s worked as a casting director on Joey Badass’s music video for his song “SUPAFLEE”. Who else does Mark want you to be hip to? Tap in with Ronye and Harlem’s own Jay Cinema.
Mark Saunders has already showed so much consistency in his craft. Whether that’s the quality of his music or his dedication to building his artist brand. I’m super excited to see the direction his career continues to grow in. With so much noise on social media and in the music space, we can’t lose sight of those artists and creatives that have something meaningful and positive to put out into the world. To preserve the culture we have to hype up our artists that “don’t want the popularity but want the impact” -ONE TRAIN. Now, personally I think you need to check out his ENTIRE discography, but give his latest single ONE TRAIN a listen below and show Mark Saunders some love.
