The first time I heard Roc Marciano’s Marcberg project my reaction was something like “Mobb Deep but the drums are underwater?” And that’s still not wrong, or even that bad of a take, but it undersold how much nuance he brings to the table, not to mention how far beyond derivative he takes the source material of the music he so clearly loves.
In his Hot 97 appearance with Mero, they got into the ecosystem he’s built, as Marciano’s set it up. THIS IS SO UNDERAPPRECIATED. Not to mention, it’s a theme I have not been able to shake for some time - so let’s break down what’s going on here, in reverse.
Roc’s release strategy is his modern awareness of social medias (yes, I am pluralizing the plural, I’m saying this to make sure you notice). He, typically, doesn’t do advanced singles, or exclusive windows. He goes as middleman-less and direct to his fans as he can.
He uses parasocial relationships via the personality in his lyrics, alongside podcast appearances and online performances, to build awareness and cultural cache around what he’s doing so you feel like, “I know this guy.” Para- means alongside, or next to social in this case.
And underneath it all, his creative work is built in the social medium. Medium is singular, unlike the plural social media, notice the words! Listen in the interview to when he talks about working with Ka (RIP). Or notice how he brought Errol Holden to the show with him, just to hang out. This is about the personal relationships, especially creative, that everything else he does is built on top of.
The social medium is extremely taste focused. He uses it in the name of the most important creator rule: make cool s***. If you don’t have cool friends, it’s really hard to make cool s***. Which is why it’s so awesome to hear him explain how he seeks out and works with the types of collaborators he knows will push him beyond his current state.
Most impressively, Marciano’s not trying to scale the creation to mega-hit or worldwide awareness status levels. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen in some crazy scenario or that he would reject it if it came. I’m just saying it’s so clearly not his goal to be Beyonce.
Roc Marciano understands that you can’t build an ecosystem by trying to scale intimacy. You get why the drums are missing or subdued or you don’t. And if you get it, you keep going deeper in, and you start appreciating more and more of the wordplay, world building, and features.
Then, the ecosystem helps you scale awareness. Because you made cool s*** that now others want to talk about and hear more of. Slowly and surely, more people find their way in.
Learn and earn your taste in what’s cool.
Find your friends and make cool s*** as a social medium.
Leverage others wanting to get in alongside the healthy boundary of you can’t let everybody in anyway - these are naturally forming parasocial relationships.
Once people want in, and once those people want to talk about your story or cool s*** to others, the social medias will kick in and awareness will spread further.
Movements always and only start as a social medium, with parasocial and social media as amplifications.
I still play Marcberg - and check out all of his new releases - because I rely on him to be both grounded in his sensibilities, and fresh in his presentation. I don’t expect burnout. I also don’t expect a cheap feeling fame chase.
Roc Marciano intuits all of this strategy, and you can tell by the look, feel, and SOUND of his brand.
It makes you want to find people who have shared values and complimentary skills to make cool s*** with. It makes you confident your taste won’t go unnoticed by others. It grants you the permission that in the farthest reaching and scaling conversations, your cool s*** will spread on its on merits.
Every creator can appreciate this. Chase the creativity. Figure out how to make it sustainable.
Roc Marciano is doing something special:
