Mark started showing interest in rap at age 5. Remixed a lot of songs in my head, combining and writing new verses. Kept getting in trouble for writing raps in class all throughout middle school and high school.
After high school Mark began audio school in 2010 at age 20, so he could continue his craft without the issues of paying for and waiting on studio time and production.
He was able to get on at Krunch Thyme Studios in March 2012 as an engineer/producer. Later moving into iMix in November 2012 and that is still his current situation. A perfect spot, has put him in a position to work on projects with local artists as well as Guilla, Pyrexx, and various members of Swisha House.
Finally, He got back to being an an artist within the last year after putting it on hold to grow as an engineer/producer.
Influences include Kanye West, Pharrell, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Michael Jackson, & Quincy Jones. Texas pioneers such as Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Bun B, & Slim Thug. Mark Drew has now release his debut album, "Sleepwalking Through Reality." He has gotten amazing reviews for any album, better yet an debut artist. Mark Drew takes you a wild ride, taking you from the feeling that the party might not ever end. Then hitting you with the reveal that Mark has a been through hard times that nearly claimed his life.
http://www.freepresshouston.com/local-love-mark-drew/
How crazy would it be if you found out from the record labels how big hip hop is in Houston? I’ve had reps from major labels all confirm to me that Houston, Screwston, or whatever you want to call it is considered one of if not the largest hip hop market in the country. So now that you know that, it should be no surprise that there are constantly new rappers coming up and releasing new albums here. One of those new rappers, is Houston’s Mark Drew. Drew has guested on songs with Guilla, as well as been hustling his own work. His album, “Sleepwalking Through Reality” was just dropped on Monday, and it’s pretty amazing. Distancing himself from the past hip hop of Houston while still incorporating jams from rap’s past and future; Drew figures out a way to add his own storyline to Houston’s rich rap history paved through his own style.
It should be noted that Drew has what I’d call a natural flow to how he drops rhymes. The album opens with the synth bassline meets simplistic piano sounds of “Sleepwalking” before Drew shakes things up with an auto-tuned backing vocal mixed with a hint of electronica. Before you know it, he’s dropping lines with a quick and intense pace. A bit of auto-tuned singing in the chorus slides in before he’s back to attacking the mic. This gets followed by the funky guitar of “Crack” where Drew quickly hits the mic. The track has a funk meets trap kind of pace mixed with a slice of chopped and screwed vocals in the chorus. By the third verse, Drew has Magno do the rapping duties, which rolls in like it was meant to be. I won’t lie, this song was stuck in my head for days after I heard it. In a nod to the past, Drew opens the third song, “Grey Goose and Dope Beats” with a similar guitar track to that of “No Sleep Till’ Brooklyn.” The song is simplistic, consisting of primarily a vocal track. That’s not a bad thing as Drew solo is just as entertaining than he is with any background tunes.
When the slow jam style of “Slums of The City” kicks in, you should realize that Drew could easily be one of the faces of Houston’s hip hop future. Complete with well mixed in samples and a simple piano track, Drew brings in Houston’s Roosh Williams who completes the H-Town vibe of the song. He goes collaborative again with the steady sound of “You and Me” which features up and comer Guilla. It’s apparent fast that Drew crafts his words just as skillfully as he crafts his backing tracks. The song has a simple sound but is made deeper with lyrics about drug use and abuse. Around the seventh track, “Go Off,” you’re deep into the album and you should already be hooked. Drew keeps it light and slow on this song, while mixing R&B with hip hop in his rhyme flow, while the song has a hint of an edm backing track. Drew bring the sexy voiced tenor of Brian Angel in on the following song, the catchy and hook heavy “6 In The Morning.” When I first saw the tracklisting, I was a little puzzled by the amount collabs on the release. But when you see them done like Drew does them, it all makes sense. He still commands the track, with little nuances from whom he features on each song. Drew closes the album with the most impressive song on the album, “Can I Vent.” The song has a very old school R&B funkiness to it, while just Drew raps atop the old school sounds. He quickly takes the pace from a slow jam to a danceable track with the quick beats fueled by his quick rhyme flow.
When it’s over, you should realize that Drew uses future sounds mixed with some of the old school to craft his own sound. In a time where some of Houston hip hop feels like it’s caught in a time warp; Mark Drew uses new talent like Roosh and Guilla to pave the way for a new generation of hip hop in Houston. You can catch Mark Drew at his album release party over at Warehouse Live on Friday December 19th. The all ages affair will feature Raj The Rapper, the doors are at 8:00, and the tickets are between $10.00 and $15.00.
http://weworemasks.com/?s=mark+drew
it is with great pleasure that we bring you the debut LP of our friend mark drew – sleepwalking through reality. this album is years in the making, and after a brief introduction and preview, we’ve made it to release day.
while mark drew executive produced and mixed the album, he had the hands of bruce bang, collaborator guilla as added help behind the boards. vocally, roosh williams, guilla, tracie bui, niko ram, brian angel and magno make appearances as well.
while the whole LP is up to stream, we’re pushing for you to purchase the release, available via all bandcamp formats for $7.99. for those of you in the houston area, mark drew’s cd release show will be at warehouse live on december 19th. tickets are available now.
http://weworemasks.com/2014/12/01/watch-mark-drew-the-path-to-sleepwalking-through-reality/
we’re only seven days away from the release of mark drew’s debut LP, sleepwalking through reality. last week, we, premiered his single with guilla in “you & me,” to plenty of positive feedback. now, this short film/EPK will give you a little insight and background music on what to expect when his album drops.
in the clip, you get to sample a few tracks, but mostly get a “behind the music” look into why mark decided to take on producing and rapping, some of his biggest influences and biggest setbacks that he’s encountered on the way.
mark drew’s album, sleepwalking through reality, will be available for download next monday, december 8th.
http://weworemasks.com/2014/11/24/listen-mark-drew-you-and-me-feat-guilla/
for starters, a little name change/rebrand from “MrMark” to “Mark Drew.” now that that’s out of the way – it’s my pleasure to premiere a friend of mine’s newest track. “you and me” is a collaboration between mark drew and guilla, who collaborate frequently (you might as well get used to it.) “you and me” has a familiar sample, which i won’t spoil, and will be the lead single from both of their projects:
• mark drew’s debut LP, sleepwalking through reality, which will drop december 8th
• guilla’s debut LP, rap, trap & drums, which will drop december 11th.
the track was co-produced by both mark drew and guilla themselves, who happened to record and mix it in a 24 hour timeframe.
for those in the houston area, mark drew will be having a CD release show on december 19th at warehouse live. for information, head here. buy the tickets directly from mark to get em for $10. guilla’s next show will be sharing a bill with our other homie fat tony — more info here.
http://weworemasks.com/2014/01/27/listen-mrmark-hard-to-handle-feat-elizabeth-miller/
a few months ago, we premiered MrMark’s first single, “summertime in houston.” in the time that’s passed since that post, he’s been holed up at his studios, working on what will eventually be his debut project, sleepwalking through reality.
“hard to handle” was originally made two years ago, but mark decided to revisit it, redoing the beat with co-producer guilla to fit the sound he’s wanting for the album. the album doesn’t have a release date yet, but is set to drop here in the next few months and will be produced entirely by MrMark himself.
if you’re in the houston area, be sure to come out and support his show at warehouse live on february 15th. buy tickets here. don’t forget to check out his reverbnation, facebook and follow him on twitter – and then listen to the new single below.
Mark Drew, "Sleepwalking Through Reality" album release show- Featuring Raj the Rapper and Fred Donato and Dinero
Texas Trap Finale