Marquell is the kind of artist who understands that life rarely goes according to plan. Growing up in Victorville, California, his path seemed set on the basketball court. He was a hoop player with his sights set on college ball, but life had other ideas. Today, the athlete turned musician is preparing to release his most personal project yet, and he is doing it with a perspective that feels much older than his years. The shift from sports to songs was born out of profound loss. Just months before Marquell left for college in Monterey, he lost his cousins.
They were the ones who truly lived and breathed music while he was busy on the court. After they passed, something changed inside him. He found himself falling out of love with basketball and discovering a new passion in the recording studio. Music became more than just a hobby. It became a way to stay connected to his roots. Marquell is not your average newcomer.
He actually started his musical journey back in the sixth grade when he learned to play the trumpet. He attended a private school on a scholarship, a detail he shares to keep things real. We are not rich, he says bluntly. That grounded attitude carries over into his songwriting. While he mostly releases hip hop with a touch of R&B, he refuses to be boxed into one specific category. He makes all types of music and is just waiting for the right moment to show the world his full range. His influences are a reflection of a generation raised on modern classics.
He jokes that he knew the lyrics to Kendrick Lamar albums before he even knew his multiplication tables. He credits J. Cole with shaping his emotional intelligence, but he reserves the highest praise for Tupac. For Marquell, Tupac was more than a rapper. Listening to him shaped how he decided to carry himself as a man. Even as his buzz grows, Marquell stays humble about his spot in the industry. I do not even know if I have a pinky in the door yet to be honest, he admits. He has learned that success comes when it is supposed to and that the journey itself is what actually matters.
This growth is most evident when he performs live. He recalls the shift from being nervous at open mics to eventually having a whole coffee shop screaming along to his lyrics. That was the moment he knew he had something special. Right now, his focus is entirely on his craft. When he is not at his day job, he is in the studio. When he is not in the studio, he is writing. It all leads up to February 3rd, when he drops his new album titled Victorville. Named after his hometown, the project is a tribute to the place and the people that made him who he is today. With his work ethic and raw honesty, Marquell is definitely an artist to watch this year.