Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marcus J. Moore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marcus, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In 2017, I was a senior editor at Bandcamp Daily covering underground jazz, alternative soul and rap. The job was great: I had to move to Brooklyn, New York for it, and things were moving along. By the end of the year, I started feeling the urge to write a book — but not just any book, the first-ever biography of rap superstar Kendrick Lamar. To do the book justice, I knew I’d have to leave a job I adore for the promise of greatness. There were public naysayers, of course: “It’s too soon for a book about Kendrick,” they said. Still, I wanted to celebrate Black art while it was still on the rise. You can read lots of books on rock artists; our heroes deserve the same flowers.

Not only was I leaving Bandcamp, I was leaving the country. My wife wanted to start a business in East Africa and we were moving there. I wrote much of the book there, in a new land, anxious about if readers would accept my work. Published in October 2020 by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, the book has been translated a few times, and is now in Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Nairobi, Kenya. Critics liked the book. More and more readers are coming around to it.

Marcus J., before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been a journalist for the past 20 years, and a music journalist for 12. Before covering music, I covered general assignment, business, politics and education at a local newspaper in Maryland. I’d been covering education for four years when, during a school board meeting, I literally said under my breath that I couldn’t do it anymore. The stories started feeling the same, and I needed something more exciting. I quit my job to be a freelancer. I launched my own website and covered underground music in D.C., Maryland and Virginia — otherwise known as the DMV.

Long story short: I just kept going. I reached out to the places I wanted to write for, and wrote for free elsewhere. I wanted to cover everything: rap, soul, jazz, folk, etc. And I wouldn’t be denied. I think that ingenuity is what kept me around. You couldn’t peg me as a particular type of writer. I wanted to be a one-stop shop for all things dope. I wrote regularly for the Washington City Paper. I reviewed concerts for the Washington Post. By 2014, I was reviewing albums for Pitchfork and discussing new releases on national radio. To date, I think I’m most proud of my editorial focus: mainstream artists don’t need any more press. What about equally dope, or sometimes better, musicians who don’t have the same marketing budgets? I write about them.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I’m thankful to have reached a point in my career where I don’t need to do anything I don’t want. It’s a blessing to cover the esoteric music I enjoy from all eras without having to cover music I don’t believe in. And I like some unique stuff! To be able to write about some of that for places like NPR and The New York Times is pretty cool. I’ve also done my own compilation albums and curated my own shows. I don’t take any of it for granted.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I’ll let others have their say if they disagree, but I think I’ve gotten to this point by being a good writer and critical thinker. That and the nuance of covering all kinds of music with grace and precision. Even as social media became more popular, and likes and retweets became the barometer for good work, I took the opposite approach. I prioritize good writing over social media veneer. It makes me a throwback, though still young enough to cover newer music that benefits from digital streaming platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marcusjmoore.media
• Instagram: @_marcusjmoore
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarcusMoore27/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-j-moore-81700115/
• Twitter: @MarcusJMoore

Image Credits
Moyo Oyelola