RVA hip hop review: Marlon Craft-Pieces

by | Jul 21, 2015 | MUSIC

I’m gonna get this out the way. I was impressed by the lyrical maturity of this project.

I’m gonna get this out the way. I was impressed by the lyrical maturity of this project. Sure, there are industry beats on here, but Marlon manages to not let them outshine him for the most part, except where he chose to rhyme over Mobb Deep’s “Shook One’s” (which I have never heard anyone be able to come off stronger than Hav and P did back in the day).

Marlon Craft is a 22-year-old hip hop artist out of Hells Kitchen, New York that released Pieces, a 15-track mixtape back in March.

You can really tell that Marlon loves Hip-Hop, and that it has been a strong part of him finding his identity, which is something I really love about this, about Hip-Hop, as I can relate. While not all this is my chamber and it does get a bit sensitive at times, both in regards to the opposite sex and in regards to Marlon’s apparent insecurity about being white.

What matters to shine no matter what here is the quality that has been put into each record and lack of pretention, which is often what a “lyrical” rapper confuses for skill. With reflective records like “the Rain” Marlon Craft proves that though anyone can put words together, when you put yourself into those words the difference is clear; and that is what’s greater than the sum of Pieces 15 tracks.

Check out his video “When the Knicks Win a Title” below that was just recently released.

Amy David

Amy David

Amy David was the Web Editor for RVAMag.com from May 2015 until September 2018. She covered craft beer, food, music, art and more. She's been a journalist since 2010 and attended Radford University. She enjoys dogs, beer, tacos, and Bob's Burgers references.




more in music

“The Game Is the Game” Reppa Ton Drops New Album

Editor’s Note: This piece was developed from an extended conversation between Reppa Ton and Chauncey “Chance Fischer” Jenkins. The new album drops tonight at midnight HERE. Sitting outside at Common House talking through Memento Vivere when the conversation drifts...

The BIG Richmond Summer Music Field Guide 2026

Trying to put together a list of shows in Richmond these days is becoming a pretty hard thing to do. The city has gotten really busy, but at least it’s not boring. There are more shows, festivals, DJ nights, and random Tuesday concerts happening in the River City than...

Salon de Résistance | Living Under Fire

Join us for Salon de Résistance on May 28 at Black Iris for an unfiltered conversation about surviving on the frontlines of global conflict in a world growing more violent, fragmented, and unable to protect civilians — with three of Virginia’s most seasoned experts in...

PHOTOS | Nysa Rips at The Camel

Philadelphia’s Nysa returned to Richmond on Friday night for a packed four-band bill at The Camel featuring local favorites Dayfiction, Artschool and Wrong Worshippers. The lineup brought together a cross-section of Richmond’s underground punk, garage, and post-punk...

OP-ED | Drake’s Issue with Identity, An Iceman’s Melting

The Drake we once knew is gone. What began as one of the most prophetic artists to hit the rap and hip-hop scene over the past two decades has again reached another breaking point with the release of three new albums on Friday, May 15th. Iceman, Drake’s mainline...

RVA Live Music This Weekend | Nysa, Sluice, Plunky & Oneness

We got some loud shows and some really soft shows this week. Lots of exciting releases just around the corner, come hear em live before it’s on your phone. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? Hit me up at griffin@rvamag.com....