What’s your name and where are you from?
My name is Martell Coleman. I was born and raised on the Westside of Chicago, IL. Chicago will always be home for me and it is where I currently reside.
Why do you love what you do?
Music saved me from death. Prior to the start of my career, I was living a monotonous life that had been indoctrinated into me from birth. My life consisted of working just to pay bills and I had become the textbook definition of “living to die.” When I was called to music it awakened me and instilled a passion inside of me that I had never experienced before. I decided at that time to postpone death by truly living. Through my art, I am able to enrich people through my life experiences. I love being able to let them know that they are not alone in this world, I am here with them and everything is going to be okay. I love having the ability to humanize my listeners and make them feel seen.
What makes you different?
Every feeling or experience that I have gone through in life, I am able to express vividly in the form of words, beats or melodies. With my music, you will journey through all five of your senses. When you listen to my music, you can hear the emotion, the passion, the rawness. You will be able to see the west side of Chicago as if you were there. You will be able to taste the Italian beef sandwich based on my embellishments and smell the Chicago River as I walk the block. By the end of the song, you will have felt what it is like to be a true Chicagoan. My storytelling alone makes me different from the rest.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years I see myself in Los Angeles, CA being presented with the best rap album of the year by The Recording Academy. I will be a household name by then who has graced stages globally with the top echelon of rap artists.
What do you want to accomplish in life?
My number one goal out of life is to be the best version of Martell that I can be. Whatever that encompasses, I want it. When I. leave this Earth, I will leave with no regrets and will have left nothing on the table. Everything that I had wanted out of life, I will have achieved it. Every experience my heart desired, I will have tried it.
What do you bring to your industry?
I only understand life lyrically and musically. My desire to be one of the greats has opened up a work ethic in me that is unmatched. I am always willing to work hard and sacrifice my needs for the greater good. But more than that, my rawness is what I bring to this industry. I can’t be censored and won’t hold any punches. You will get this lyricism raw and unfiltered. My music won’t be for everybody, but the ones that get it, gets it. Range wise, my lyrics can go bar for bar with any other artist. I am extremely competitive and have no problem going for what’s destined to be mine.
What do you want to be remembered by?
When you listen to my music, I want you to carry away a reflection of me, a reflection of this life we have journeyed through together. I want the voiceless to remember that they will always be a part of me and I am a representation of them. My role as an artist is to help them say what they are unable to say. So when you see me on the Mt. Rushmore of artists and when I am remembered as one of the best MCs to ever touch a mic, it will be all of us on that sculpture, stage and plaque. I am a reflection of you. When I win, we all win.
