Daily Discovery: Mars Jackson is a Rapper Making Nostalgia Fresh Again

Daily Discovery: Get to know Mars Jackson and check out the premiere of his new video.

Daily Discovery is a feature that will highlight a new or recently discovered artist that we’re excited about. See the rest of our Daily Discoveries here.


Arrogance is a standard thing in hip-hop, but it’s very rare for it to be endearing. Mars Jackson pulls this off, but beyond the music it’s evident he’s a humble dude. “My family is from NYC but my nana was born in Pittsburgh, which we relocated to when I was 4 years old,” he tells us. “Pittsburgh has a decent culture of hip-hop music with hood legends like Mel Man, and you’ve also got Wiz and Mac who put on for our city.” He doesn’t exactly come from a place foreign to hip-hop, but his influences reside outside his scene.

He says that his influences range from Kanye and Daft Punk, and all the way to Jimmy Eat World. It’s unorthodox, but he isn’t just repeating what his influences have already done. His sound is inspired by the past as much as it is the present, and with “Bravo!” it really shows. The nostalgia is present, but it’s not the main attraction—there’s no dependence on older sounds, but they’re present to provide a sense of comfort amongst the cocksure swagger.

‘Bravo!’ is like a look into how I feel sometimes in Pittsburgh; it’s like a asylum at times.

“‘Bravo!’ is like a look into how I feel sometimes in Pittsburgh; it’s like a asylum at times,” he admits. He continues by saying that he feels like he’s going crazy trying to explain his sound, but honestly, it’s best to let the music do all the talking. Watch the premiere of “Bravo!” above, and listen to “Jack$ino” below.


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