An Inspired Chat with D. Marcel of Gwinnett

We recently had the chance to connect with D. Marcel and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning D., it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
My day to day has been married to my routine. I wake up, journal, do yoga, read, and then go to the gym. All of this is in preparation to record when I get home. I’ve found that it gives me the mental edge needed to know that I have God on my side. I’m still serving tables but I’ve quit my Gap gig to have more time to record. Things don’t always go as planned but it’s been better than expected.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is D. Marcel and I’m an independent artist from Gwinnett County, Georgia. You should know that I’ve given everything to get how far I’ve come and I’ve only just begun. Right now I’m working on a mixtape I call “Freebird”. I get the name from my mother who one day walked in the room and told me that I was the “freebird” out of her three sons. She was telling me how much she enjoys the songs I sing and that she believes everything will be okay for me if I just follow the music.

It really meant a lot because in the beginning she was against my entire pursuit.

Ever since I just kept writing, working to buy beats and studio time, still driving all the way up to Athens to record on discount. Before long I looked up and felt like I had a group of songs that could make a cohesive body of work. I’m still rounding out the edges and waiting on a few mixes. In the meantime I’m working to build an audience of people that would listen to a project from me.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
As funny as it sounds, I’ve always been me. Growing up my parents loved music and I fell in love with hip-hop from the backseat of my Pop’s blue Honda minivan, watching him recite Jay-z lyrics like they were his own. Before school in the morning I would get dressed to MTV Jams. After school I would run through my homework to catch 106 & Park on time. Some of my earliest memories were rapping along to 50 cent, lil Wayne, and Bow Wow videos at the box TV set we had in the living room. My best friend growing up was my yellow SpongeBob radio and all I ever wanted for Christmas was sneakers and CDs.

I always knew I wanted to make music but it took me years to get out of my shell. I was too shy as a child to attempt to sing in the school chorus and a lot of my first raps were kept hidden from friends and family. I wanted to get to what I considered to be “good” before I shared it with them. In High School, my good friend Shaun started to rap too and I would share some of my songs with him at his place. That’s where I gradually built the confidence to steal my older brother’s equipment that day he went to work and Dev and I recorded my first song.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I’ve never thought about giving up but I definitely have moments of doubt. One thing I’ve learned on this journey so far is to always expect the unexpected. Things don’t always go as planned and when it goes down you don’t want to have all your eggs in one basket.

I’ve bumped my head a few times and had to learn that lesson the hard way, getting overly excited at false promises and what people say they will do for me. I’ve learned that nothing is more important than what I can do for myself, and that’s remaining flexible, staying around good-hearted, like-minded individuals who want to succeed as bad as I do. In this Industry you have to weed out the snakes, and we do our best, but no one’s perfect. When I catch one close enough to strike me is the only time I feel in inkling of doubt, but in those moments I lean on God and my disciplines to get me back on track. Lately I’ve been telling myself that God wouldn’t have brought me this far to just leave me.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Lately I’ve been bumping Jessie Reyez’s new album, “Paid In Memories”, and outside of loving the music, I absolutely adore her character. I admire how raw and vulnerable she gets in her songwriting and it’s even pushed me to approach my songs differently. Instead of always trying to be the most dopest rapper, which I definitely am, it’s made me start to think who is the song directed to and why. What feeling am I trying to get across? And what do I hope the listener takes away from it? It’s on my bucket list to write a song with Jessie Reyez because I admire how she rides for her family. I feel like her character bleeds through her music and I only hope to do the same with mine.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. When have you had to bet the company?
I feel like I bet the company everyday. As an independent artists I feel like a startup and I don’t even like to think about how much I’m in the red. Like The Great Nipsey Hussle said, I’m all money in. I work, spend my last, and then some in hopes of a return on investment. Everyday I feel like I’m betting the house trying to hit big.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d___marcel/
• Twitter: https://x.com/frum3000
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@D.Marcel
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/d-marcel
• Other: email – frumfrum3000@gmail.com

Image Credits
All images captured and edit by Dachi Media.