Marc Dinero has always had a passion for music but he put it on a back burner. However, this ended in 2019 when he realized that it was time to make his music a priority. This led to his album “Inception”, inspiring hip-hop that still keeps it fresh, featuring the latest single on his project “Loafers and Suitcases”. ‘Inception’ has been a long time coming for Marc DiNero. Growing up in Peoria, IL, he discovered hip hop early in life and was taken with it almost instantly. After realizing he hadn’t been investing in himself, he took a dive and did just that in 2019. This investment came into a labor of love, passion, and incredible music on his debut.
A dozen songs deep, ‘Inception’ takes what the masses have always loved about hip hop and gives it an inspirational twist. Like on his latest single, “Loafers and Suitcases” featuring none other than BRXTN. Marc Dinero is a spectacular artist with phenomenal creativity. His raw authenticity takes us back to the pure culture of hip-hop where rap felt like rap and not such a gimmick. A hip hop lyricist who takes his craft to the next level, there is no telling where Marc DiNero will go in 2020 but we’re sure it’s to the top.
Listen to Marc DiNero's music here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Marc Dinero! What initially inspired you to pursue music?
I have always had a passion for music. I began doing music back in my early teenage years mimicking early DMX, Tupac, Jay-z, and Biggie. I always knew that I had it in me to make good music and provide a story in Hip Hop that should be told. The issue that I had initially was getting myself to think outside of the box and break from the life of Normalcy and complacency. Prior to this journey, I spent years trying to fit into what I thought society wanted me to be. I always allowed my fear of public perception to persuade me from pursuing a dream that I had buried away. My inspiration that really fueled my drive to pursue music was understanding that I am not the only one out there that has a talent or a dream that we want to pursue. Often times we get too caught up thinking about failing or how everyone will view you for doing something outside of what they believe your pathway should be. I looked at the road ahead of me before beginning this journey and I could find every reason why I couldn't do this but I intentionally ignored all of those negative thoughts and found every way I could make this happen. I feel like that is what people have to do when you are jumping out there into something that may seem scary. You have to just begin the journey and tackle the task as they come. If you try to see the full picture before it is finished, you can get overwhelmed by thinking of all the detail that you still have to put in place and doing that can bring the negative thoughts that could cause you to quit. The true inspiration that drove me to fully invest in myself with music was my son. He asked me a question once, "Dad, why didn't you ever try to make it to the NBA since you were good at basketball? If you were so good at music why didn't you try to get your songs on the radio?" I would always tell my son that he could be whatever he put his mind to and he was challenging the very thing that I preach to him. How could I tell him that, when I didn't dream big enough myself? I tried to tell him that I had to grow up quickly because I had him at a young age but he responded with, "there are people in the NBA with kids". All the reason why I say that we can find every excuse to not pursue something but it takes a special kind of drive to ignore that negativity and find the motivation that can push you to completion. Which leads to why I named my debut album "Inception".
Tell us about your album “Inception”, what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome this project?
Inception is defined as the beginning of something. With any dream or pursuit, it starts with an idea. That idea can lead to us to fully living in our purpose or it can stay right there in our mind as something we wish we could do. So many times, we look at someone in a position we want to be in and either say, “I want to be there or I wish I could do that”. This project explains how I battled with the pursuit of my music dream and I used songs like “Dreamgate”, “Inception”, and “Campaign” to really elaborate on some of my experiences by painting the picture lyrically and using my words as a way of inspiration to others that may be struggling with that very thing. My biggest challenge while pursuing this dream was perception and patience. I spoke on perception earlier but patience is one of my worst attributes. I tend to look at people further along and get discouraged when I am not matching someone’s success. I look too far ahead when I need to focus on the present. I found myself not enjoying certain parts of the journey because I was too worried about how I will be received by others. Fear of going through the initial phases of coming out as an artist caused me to have thoughts of rushing the process very easy. Attempts to rush the process can lead you to release a half potency product. I really believe that with social media and how everyone feels the need to be socially accepted by the majority causes fear, which in return could lead us to be very unhappy individuals. Overcoming that fear and turning that idea into action is what this album is mainly about.
Can you tell us about the theme of “Inception”? What was the main message behind most of the songs on this album?
The theme of “Inception” really came from one of my favorite movies which are also titled “Inception”. Although my project is not based on the movie, the idea of a dream being started as an idea in the mind was definitely inspired by the movie. My journey with music is a dream that I had to kickstart and make a reality. Most people are afraid to make that jump for some of the reasons I expressed earlier. This album speaks on those reasons from my personal experiences and I hope that this inspires people to pursue their dream or life goal. I would like to reach someone that is currently struggling with the same things that I struggled with and they see this music as a spark for them. Ultimately, I believe that is why God blessed me with the gift of music. I hope that people can see my gift when they listen to my music.
How would you describe the creative process behind “Inception” did you experiment with any new arrangements?
The creative process was definitely the fun part of all of this as it should be. I released my first single in July of this year titled “Moves”. I immediately knew and could hear the potential of that song is a hit. I really wanted to stay in the conceptual framework of the title “Inception”. I was able to do that for the most part. I recorded 29 songs to reach my final 12 for this project. Each song was a different vibe for me. I feel that I approached each song differently when it comes to how I decided on my cadence and lyrical approach. I tend to write my songs the best when I can arrange the hook to the song first. Once I create and write the hook, I begin freestyling my cadence and how I would approach my verse before I begin writing. Once I figure out the first couple of bars from the verse, it’s all fun from there. I love the process of creating, especially when you really think about how you were able to come up with some of the metaphors and direction with the song. I think you will be able to hear the hard work that was put into this project though. As far as to beat selection, I really have to give a lot of credit to my main producer Poetic Justes from Louisville Ky. I thought I had a complete project in August but he heard a snippet of my music through IG and he reached out to me and said that he wanted to make some music to cater to my sound. After he sent me a few beats we instantly connected and he produced 80% of my project.
What about your latest single “Loafers And Suitcases”? What’s the biggest theme this song presents?
My second single “Loafers and Suitcases” was produced by Poetic Justes. When he sent me the instrumental it sounded like something very comparable to what is out today. It had that light trap sound and provided a really good bassline. This concept came super easy, I just wanted to approach this song with a concept that has never been used before. The title “Loafers and Suitcases” was the first thing that came to my mind. I have really been diving into the classic business attire so I figured instead of listeners hearing this beat and listening to a bunch of negativity. I figured I could create a boss up anthem to get people on they CEO swag. During this journey, I made sure that I took the time and began learning the business side of music so this song also expresses my business approach.
What’s next for you in 2020 Marc Dinero? We can't wait to hear future releases from you, thank you for taking the time to speak with us!
I will be spending a lot of time traveling the US pushing this project and my single releases. I am already looking to releasing a 5 track EP in 2020. My main focus will be getting my name out there more, learning as much as the business as I can, networking and building great business relationships, and pushing this project heavy.