Marvel the GR8 2014 Brownies & Lemonade stage

The pursuit of mastering one’s craft is a complicated day-to-day struggle, an eternal fluctuation of love and hate that few have the bearing to endure. For Michael Rios, the 24-year-old rap auteur known by many as Marvel the GR8, that pursuit is what makes this life so exciting.

In 2013 he released ‘GR8′, an ambitious 8-track LP that expands on a high point in creativity and establishes Marvel as an enigmatic force in contemporary rap music. The album itself has five independent music videos to accompany it, a testament to his vision as a virtuoso of multi-media.

Marvel’s stage presence is the thespian equivalent of a rousing Act V monologue, with a unique delivery that lies somewhere between spoken word and nightclub one-liners at 3 am. From intimate underground warehouse parties, to performing at Guerilla Union’s Rock The Bells Hip-Hop Music Festival this past September, it’s safe to say Mr. GR8 has come a long way. A (short) list of artists he has performed with sounds like an all-star Spotify rap playlist, including The Game, Pusha-T, Fabolous, Too $hort, DJ Quik, Cam’ron, and J-Cole. Marvel’s upward trajectory makes him one of the most exciting young artists Los Angeles has to offer, and only time will determine the extent of his GR8ness.

Be on the lookout for the release of Marvel The GR8′s newest project entitled, Post-Modern Ignorance.