Velly Marsh is a unique emcee out of Sacramento, California. His album, “Dark Matter”, is the story of a man trying to keep his composure and ultimately failing, resulting in self-destruction. This space inspired project is full of dope production, real lyricism and deep themes.

While artists typically don’t like to be compared to other artists (mainly because they have a goal of sounding unique), I hear many influences in Velly Marsh’s sound. Some of them may be artists he listens to and studies, while others may just be artists that I believe he sounds like. After listening to his project, the names Tyler the Creator and Reason come to mind. I feel that Marsh could easily fit on a roster like Odd Future or even on J Cole’s Dreamville. His voice is deep and he raps angrily while also putting substance and lyricism in his bars.

One thing that impresses me about this project is the different rap cadences Marsh uses throughout some of the songs. On Track 3, “Weird By Nature”, Marsh starts his verse with an intricate flow and cadence. “Calls from home often talkin coffins got a bridge to jump off it…” spits Marsh. He later in the song adopts a different cadence. “Who knows where I might go, fast livin but I ride slow. I’m goin dumb like a sideshow, decision makin ice cold”. It’s this type of intricacy that separates mumble rappers from the true emcees.

The production on this project is impeccable as Marsh shows that boom bap beats are far from dead. He uses samples and true Hip-Hop style beats but also utilizes vocals effects in a lot of his songs in order to sell the project’s space theme.

Overall, this “Dark Matter” project is a breath of fresh air as it adds something extremely unique to the rap game. It combines aspects of the new wave with real hip-hop elements and it always keeps the listener interested. Velly Marsh stated that this was the first project of his that he felt proud of and I can easily see why.

Stream and Share “Dark Matter” on Spotify