Marvaless
Interview by Black Dog Bone
From Murder Dog vol 5 #4
I feel like you and C-Bo are almost like brother and sister.
Yeah, we're real close. When you work with somebody real tight it helps you out. He helped me out a lot to mature as an artist. He influenced me a lot. C-Bo's one of the tightest to me--him and Tupac.
Before you met C-Bo were you rapping about the same things?
It was basically always about the same things--everyday life--it was on the same level.
When you think back over the years working with C-Bo, what do you remember most?
He always can make you laugh regardless. He's always got a joke for you. And he's one of the finest to me as a rapper, he puts it down.
What part of Sacramento did you grow up in? Garden Block?
I grew up in the Creek. It's pretty close to Garden Block, it's all in the South area.
You go way back with DJ Daryl.
Oh yeah, that's why Daryl's got to be on every album. He was there in the beginning. T hooked me up with DJ Daryl cause he used to kick it in Oakland a lot.
Who produced your latest album?
I got Rick Rock from the Slop Shop. He used to be with Mike Mosley, but he's doin his own thing now. Then DJ Daryl. Mike didn't do anything on this album. Then One-Drop Scott and BC who's on AWOL. Pizo did a track on there. It was tight.
How was it for you growing up?
I had a hard, hard life basically, that's to sum it all up. A lotta youngsters nowadays is growin up havin the type of life I lived--not havin things, havin to struggle. I had ten brothers and sisters. I'm the youngest.
You were probably influenced by your older brothers and sisters, you must've grown up fast.
That's all we had to do, I grew up extremely fast. It was a lot of not knowin when you was goin to eat and worrying about where you was gonna sleep, that kinda thing.
you grew up with your mom and dad?
For a while. My mom passed away when I was 9. I was with my grandma for my elementary years, then I stayed with my dad.
Are you the only one in your family that raps?
My sister sings. She sung on the "Up And Outta Sacramento" with Levitti. A couple of my brothers rap--Slow Mo has a studio in Sacramento--and Young Joker, he has some stuff out.
You have three albums out?
Yeah, first Ghetto Blues, then Just Marvaless, then I had Wicked and now my latest album is Fearless.
Which of all the albums do you like the most?
This new one. I liked the last one a lot, but Fearless is my favorite. I like the production on it. It was all me.
I wonder what you'd be doing if you weren't rapping right now?
I'd probably be in college playin basketball. I'm tight on that field. I had a scholarship for basketball, but I wanted to be a rapper so it's all good. I've been rappin since elementary school, so for me the rappin part is easy.
You are one of the few female rappers that can do Gangsta Rap and come real. I don't know what it is.
Just like with male rappers, there's a lotta people out there that rap and might even have somebody else writin their material and that's all good, but then there are rappers who really can put it down from the heart, who really have skills. I write all my lyrics. I couldn't even say what somebody else wrote. I wouldn't feel it at all. That's where I'm comin from, I'm that Sacramento type.
Do you think things have changed for Rap artists in Sacramento since you first started?
There was always mad talent out in Sac, but there wasn't never any real hook-ups. In the Bay Area there was so many people comin out--Too Short, Paris, E-40--there was this hook-up out there. But in Sac you just had to go somewhere else in order to get hooked up. You got to get your skrill together to do that, then you gotta just meet the right person. It was a harder road. I was lucky to get with T and AWOL. It's cool too, cause I'm the only female on the label.
Of the top ten you named, you didn't include any female rappers.
To be perfectly honest, I don't bump too many female rappers. I like Yo Yo, she's tight. And it's a lotta females that ain't out yet that I would bump if they was out. Like my homey 4-C, she's tight. My homey the Madam, she tight. Sh'Killa from the Bay, she got skills. Storm got skills. It's a lotta females out here that got skills, but they haven't got props like they should.
Do you think the Bay has slowed down with Rap?
It did for a while, but it's comin back. '98 is the year.
Interview by Black Dog Bone
From Murder Dog vol 5 #4
I feel like you and C-Bo are almost like brother and sister.
Yeah, we're real close. When you work with somebody real tight it helps you out. He helped me out a lot to mature as an artist. He influenced me a lot. C-Bo's one of the tightest to me--him and Tupac.
Before you met C-Bo were you rapping about the same things?
It was basically always about the same things--everyday life--it was on the same level.
When you think back over the years working with C-Bo, what do you remember most?
He always can make you laugh regardless. He's always got a joke for you. And he's one of the finest to me as a rapper, he puts it down.
What part of Sacramento did you grow up in? Garden Block?
I grew up in the Creek. It's pretty close to Garden Block, it's all in the South area.
You go way back with DJ Daryl.
Oh yeah, that's why Daryl's got to be on every album. He was there in the beginning. T hooked me up with DJ Daryl cause he used to kick it in Oakland a lot.
Who produced your latest album?
I got Rick Rock from the Slop Shop. He used to be with Mike Mosley, but he's doin his own thing now. Then DJ Daryl. Mike didn't do anything on this album. Then One-Drop Scott and BC who's on AWOL. Pizo did a track on there. It was tight.
How was it for you growing up?
I had a hard, hard life basically, that's to sum it all up. A lotta youngsters nowadays is growin up havin the type of life I lived--not havin things, havin to struggle. I had ten brothers and sisters. I'm the youngest.
You were probably influenced by your older brothers and sisters, you must've grown up fast.
That's all we had to do, I grew up extremely fast. It was a lot of not knowin when you was goin to eat and worrying about where you was gonna sleep, that kinda thing.
you grew up with your mom and dad?
For a while. My mom passed away when I was 9. I was with my grandma for my elementary years, then I stayed with my dad.
Are you the only one in your family that raps?
My sister sings. She sung on the "Up And Outta Sacramento" with Levitti. A couple of my brothers rap--Slow Mo has a studio in Sacramento--and Young Joker, he has some stuff out.
You have three albums out?
Yeah, first Ghetto Blues, then Just Marvaless, then I had Wicked and now my latest album is Fearless.
Which of all the albums do you like the most?
This new one. I liked the last one a lot, but Fearless is my favorite. I like the production on it. It was all me.
I wonder what you'd be doing if you weren't rapping right now?
I'd probably be in college playin basketball. I'm tight on that field. I had a scholarship for basketball, but I wanted to be a rapper so it's all good. I've been rappin since elementary school, so for me the rappin part is easy.
You are one of the few female rappers that can do Gangsta Rap and come real. I don't know what it is.
Just like with male rappers, there's a lotta people out there that rap and might even have somebody else writin their material and that's all good, but then there are rappers who really can put it down from the heart, who really have skills. I write all my lyrics. I couldn't even say what somebody else wrote. I wouldn't feel it at all. That's where I'm comin from, I'm that Sacramento type.
Do you think things have changed for Rap artists in Sacramento since you first started?
There was always mad talent out in Sac, but there wasn't never any real hook-ups. In the Bay Area there was so many people comin out--Too Short, Paris, E-40--there was this hook-up out there. But in Sac you just had to go somewhere else in order to get hooked up. You got to get your skrill together to do that, then you gotta just meet the right person. It was a harder road. I was lucky to get with T and AWOL. It's cool too, cause I'm the only female on the label.
Of the top ten you named, you didn't include any female rappers.
To be perfectly honest, I don't bump too many female rappers. I like Yo Yo, she's tight. And it's a lotta females that ain't out yet that I would bump if they was out. Like my homey 4-C, she's tight. My homey the Madam, she tight. Sh'Killa from the Bay, she got skills. Storm got skills. It's a lotta females out here that got skills, but they haven't got props like they should.
Do you think the Bay has slowed down with Rap?
It did for a while, but it's comin back. '98 is the year.
