"Have a sense of humor through the bullshit, and live to inspire. Do what makes you happy. Life's too short to be worrying about all the things that the world expects you to be worried about. No matter how safe you try to play it, you'll never make it out alive."

          28 year old Marlon Sousis, aka MARV is not your typical rapper. In fact, the term "rapper" itself is something he'd actually prefer not to be labeled as. "If anything call me an artist. Artists create. And that's what I do. I create. I'm a really big fan of expressing myself. I feel like that's what life's about. I mean yeaa I rap, but that's only one of the many ways that I like to express myself. Labeling me as a "rapper" places me in a box artistically. It would be more appropriate to say that I rap, than to call me a "rapper;" considering that there's so much more that I bring to the table. But hey, you can call me what you want. It's up to you. I'm 2MaRVaLuS4WordZ; Meaning that you'll never quite figure me out. I can't be labeled or defined. I wear a lot of different crowns."
          In mixing his passion for business and being independent, with his love for barbering, fashion, and music, MARV has decided that he is going to live his life on his terms, doing what he loves to do, while making a positive impact on the world. "That's what great artists do. They help people see the world in a different way. And that's all I want to do. I want to change the way people look at things, and help them see the world in a more positive way. We're just surrounded by so much damn negativity on a daily basis, It's hard to stay positive. That's why I do what I do. I want to help people improve their lives. I want to be able to create things that live forever. I know I ain't gonna live forever, so I'll be damned if I don't invest the little bit of time I'm given into creating things that do, and help people improve their lives."
          All of his life MARV has been into music, art, and expressing himself. Those that know him say that he's always had that special "something." Whenever he's in the room, it tends to brighten up. "Yeaa I've kind of gotten used to always having all eyes on me. It's crazy too, because I ain't even really loud like that, or the guy in the room that flashes all the expensive jewelry, designer clothes, and other shit most people are into. I mean, not to knock it. If that's the way you choose to express yourself, go for it. But it's just not really my thing. Maybe I'm this way because I've never had a lot of money. So I've always had to find a cheap way to stand out. I don't know. But I've always been perfectly fine rocking an $8 ninja turtles t-shirt from target, or buying a $5 white tee for a corner store and throwing my own logo on it. Something that really says something about me. To me, that feels better than rocking any designer gear. I don't make my assumptions about the value of something based on it's price, or get into things just because other people may place a high value on them. I feel like life's about expressing yourself. So if you're into all that name brand and expensive shit, cool. Do you. Express yourself. I just never have been. I'm into building my own brand, and expressing myself in ways that feel genuine to me. And people just seem to be attracted to that." He then adds with a grin and snicker, "and this is coming from Mr. Best Dressed '04."
          MARV and his Inspired MindZ team have not only built up a nice local buzz, but they've also been selling out shows, while also opening up for bigger artists such as Big Sean, and MGK. "There's just something about inspiring people that inspires me. I want to be able to inspire people to be great. I'm all about helping people change their lives for the better. I've always been an underdog. I'm a little guy, from a little ol' city that no one's ever heard of, with big dreams. The oddz have always been stacked against me, and I expect it to be that way my whole life. But even with all the shitty oddz, I still have gotten alot accomplished, and I have so much to be grateful for. I love beating the oddz. It's one of lifes greatest feelings."
          MARV has always had big dreams, and alot of things he wants to accomplish. And even though money makes the world go around, making it is not his primary motivation. "I don't make music to make money. I make money so I can make more music. If anything, I'm actually more motivated to prove people wrong. Whenever I'm in a rut, or in need of some inspiration, not only do I think of all the people that are counting on me to succeed, but I also think about all the people that are expecting me to fail. And that alone inspires me more than anything."

You can find out more about MARV by following him on Instagram @2marvalus4wordz!!

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