Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Saafir.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Marcus. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Well, I’m not sure how other peoples stories began but my story began with my mother’s story; my biggest cheerleader. My mother was a special kind of woman; the neighborhood mom, the favorite cousin, the middle child of her six brothers and sisters and also a twin. She was truly a walking angel who did not take defeat in any manor. Faced with an irregular heart and the doctors saying she would never have kids, my mother birthed miracle boys. And for me to come ten years after my mothers 1st born knowing the doctor said it wasn’t possible… Well, here I am.
I was raised in a single parent home filled with magic, imagination, and freedom. But we all know everything isn’t, as it seems. I can’t recall the date but I remember being separated from my mother for the 1st time at six years old for about three weeks. This was around the same time she told me that I was going to make a difference in the lives of the people that surround me; and my name “SAAFIR” was going to be in lights even though I wanted to change my last name to hers because I use to get picked on and bullied for it. And I really didn’t know my father but had his last name.
To say all of that, the woman I knew to be the light bearer of any situation had her 1st heart attack and I was introduced to the concept of death and losing someone I’ve known and believed in my entire life. In all, my mother had seven heart attacks throughout my childhood and it’s something that shapes me to this day.
At the age of 8, I wrote my 1st verse with the help of my brother who was heavily influenced by the hip-hop culture; specifically NAS.
1st VERSE
It’s Marcus B
In the place to be now
Rapping on the mic
Yeah you know me now
I like the girls thats chocolate
Like the milk in school
I walk around with my boots on
Cuz I’m so cool
Don’t play me like a fool
I’m like MC Brain
And I’m the main thang
And I’m so insane
Come up in ya spot like Wu tang
Clan
VERSE END
By ten years old, I was writing all the time. At 1st I just rhymed, then it turned into stories, undeveloped scripts to free my mind. Not only did I enjoy it but also it helped quiet the thoughts of losing my mother every day because she had recently had another heart attack. Through the discomfort of thinking about my mother, writing became my 2nd love and telling stories and using my imagination became my escape route out of reality.
I was shy growing up but that soon broke sophomore year of high school when I started recording and putting these words to music. That’s when everyone in my family started to notice that something was there and I needed to continue to pursue it.
To fast forward years ahead, I lost my mother a month into my freshman semester at WSSU on one of the biggest nights of my life. The day of waiting and not knowing finally came. But before losing her, she said the same thing she told me when I was six years old. “Your name is going to be in lights. Everyone will know who you are because of the light you carry.” She told me to live without limit and try everything that interests me. And so I did.
The journey to self-discovery was in full effect. And in my discovery, I found out I could act winning best actor in a screenplay called Fabulation, I always danced so I naturally joined the dance team, and built up enough confidence to try modeling which led to becoming the male figurehead of a well-known modeling troupe on campus. There was no limit to seizing the moment. So much so that I ended up transferring to a new school not only because my major was no longer accredited, I just knew there was more out there for me. So much more that I ended up leaving school in all to pursue my dream as an artist in the music industry. HELLO ATLANTA!
I did everything in my power to distract myself from the reality that my mother was no longer here. But out of all those things I did and still do, there was one thing that gravitated towards me on my journey; film. I was in school for media studies because it was the closest thing to music. And after leaving school in 2012 and crashing and burning in Atlanta, I moved to Hampton, VA where I bought my 1st camera. I’ll be honest though. I didn’t buy my 1st camera because of my passion for film, I bought my 1st camera because it made more sense to pay for a camera than getting charged $1000 one time for someone to shoot my content; it was an entrepreneurial move. In the two years spent living in Hampton, my camera stayed in the box. Crazy right? I had a camera but wasn’t inspired to do a thing with it until I came back to Atlanta. And my new identity as a photographer and filmmaker was birthed. The rest is history.
Today I am proud to say the journey continues and storytelling has become one of my ultimate gifts. I am now an established music artist on all platforms exclusively on Pandora music and I am a freelance director of photography. I have performed and continue to perform on a regular basis and have had amazing opportunities throughout my journey working with all kinds of people.
I recently just released a new EP called M19 on the day my mother transitioned which is September 30th. It is part one of four bodies of work that results in one masterwork called “M.A.M.A.” These projects are the pivot points of me growing from a boy into a man and moving forward from everything I’ve ever known to the new that awaits me in adulthood. “Therapeutic vibes, call it soul ties.” But it truly isn’t about “me.” I’m just a vessel. It’s about each and every one of us and all the growing pains that come with living the best life we can. To all who follow my journey, I hope that you gain inspiration from my walk in life and continue to know that you are the light in the room.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s never a smooth road when you’re creating your own path for success. Especially in today’s cut-throat entertainment industry. I believe that everything is for you and based on your attitude and care for others, that will determine your elevation. Life isn’t a struggle, it’s challenging. Some challenges that really were accolades for my current success was self-discovery, finding my voice and building confidence in the work that I was doing. As I said, my mother was the 1st fan and biggest cheerleader of my music and its uses to embarrass the hell out of me when she played my songs for her friends, our family, anyone who was in a 5-foot radius of her haha. But with her doing that I was able to build confidence in not only my music and writing but also myself because of the passion she had. It took me three years to break as an artist on Pandora music. And for someone who could only “hold a note” but taught himself how to sing through the rigorous vocal exercises on YouTube at 12-13 years old, to learning the do’s and don’ts when it came to vocal health to performing in from on 200 people, that was a huge milestone. The reason why is because I was finally recognized as an artist whose music could run with Drake, Miguel, J Cole, Usher, the industry. They all play on my radio channel and my music streams right in the mix of it all. No success happens overnight. It’s going to take a lot of talking to yourself, a lot of self-evaluation and a lot of focus and borrowed belief.
But to be honest, my biggest challenge during this journey was learning how to do everything myself. When you don’t have access to what you need and you finally have that light bulb moment of not “wait on someone else” for your success to move forward, you’ll learn how to make something out of nothing. I learned how to record myself, vocal arranges and produce myself, engineer myself, create my own artwork for my music releases, figure out distribution, apply myself using YouTube as my vocal coach because I couldn’t afford one, seeking the knowledge to become a better songwriter, etc. I just never told myself I couldn’t do anything when faced with an obstacle. If you want something, you drop the excuses and figure out how to achieve it. My advice to these up and coming artists is to be as authentic and transparent as you can be and never ever tell yourself you can’t do a damn thing! If you don’t have a studio, invest in one. If you don’t have an engineer, do your research and just go figure it out. Just don’t sit and wait for someone else to believe in you as much as you do. Show yourself that you poppin enough to be fucked with on any level. You’re the elephant in the room.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with SaafirForever – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
So, my business is SAAFIRFOREVER aka VBSF (VISUALS BY SAAFIRFOREVER) and I specialize in camera work, editing & directing, songwriting, producing and vocal arrangement. For the film heads, I am a freelance director of photography.
I’ve shot with countless celebrities, have had the opportunity to tour across Georgia as a camera operator for the official documentary of Stacey Abrams with Auburn Avenue Films, worked as a Director of photography for Rolling Out Magazine to riding on a private jet for personal clients to capture the moment. But one of my most proud moments as a freelance DP was traveling to South Africa twice! South Africa is magic and I can’t wait to return and dive deep into the culture. As far as music, it would be having the opportunity to expand my fan base overseas in person. Shout outs to DJ SBU and the Breakfast show in South Africa for being the 1st to spin my music outside of the USA.
I believe what sets me apart from competitors is my willingness to go the extra mile. Many people have uttered to me that whomever I’m around I bring the best out of them. Well, I believe I do and I do it with a passion when it comes to film, photography, and music. I do it as if it was someone working with me on my business model. I believe in what I shoot, edit or write. So I try to make sure whoever I’m working with, I can respect the content, see their vision, magnify it and give it my best wholeheartedly. And yea this is a business. It’s about the money at the end of the day but it’s not about the money. It’s truly about the message and the impact it has on its viewers, listeners, and believers.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Man, I love that Atlanta sits on the cliff of opportunity and culture with so much below to absorb and take with you on the journey; the people, the nightlife, the freedom to be unapologetically you, the access to studios and celebrities. I love that the film industry has found a new home in Atlanta and that this is the melting pot for hip hop culture currently. The only thing I can say I don’t care for is the finessing and the crab in a barrel mentality. There is so much business in Atlanta, so many small businesses. However, in this industry people still, think on a level of fickle and pettiness that would make any dream catchers skin crawl. In order for any business to continue to thrive and be successful, they must get paid for the service they provide. Whether it is monetary or simply giving the artist credit for the work they did. I will never understand why anybody thinks there suppose to get anything for free without returning love or giving back based off your “status.” It’s not about your status; it’s about your character.
Pricing:
- If you’re looking for a camera operator my day rate is $400 for 8 hrs. Email: Saafirforeverbooking@gmail.com
- If your looking for a Director of Photography with camera operation my day rate is $650 for 8 hrs Email: Saafirforeverbooking@gmail.com
- If you’re looking for anything music related whether it be performing, songwriting, vocal arrangement etc. Email: saafirforevermusic@gmail.com
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9195222696
- Email: saafirforeverbooking@gmail.com
- Instagram: @marcussaafir
- Twitter: @Marcussaafir
- Other: http://smarturl.it/nscvpp
Image Credit:
Nathan Pearcy Pics, V Meekins Design and Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
