Mars ILL
Encyclopedia
Mars Ill is an emcee/DJ hip-hop
duo from Atlanta, Georgia
. The duo consists of Gregory Owens (manCHILD
) and Nathan Corrona (DJ Dust
). They are also part of the hip-hop collective Deepspace5
.
Coming together in 1998, Mars Ill has released several albums and EPs through independent record labels and two albums on Gotee Records
. Their success in the underground hip-hop
movement in the early 2000s led to their performing at Scribble Jam
in 2003 and 2004 and, ultimately, their signing to Gotee
.
. The group consisted of three members, Nate Corrona (DJ Dust), Michael Porter (Rahlo), and Joel Wilson (Thin King), and performed at various venues in and around Indianapolis and the Mid-West from 1995 to 1999. In 1998, Nate attended a hip hop conference in Florida and met Greg Owens, who was at the time an MC for The Pride
, living in Atlanta. Greg was then asked to be a part of deadpoetsociety and subsequently toured with the group until around the end of 1999. At that point, Joel had left the group to return to his home in England
, and the three current members all decided to change the group name because, as Greg mentioned in an interview, "there [are] a lot of Dead Poets Society's around.". Nate then decided to move to Atlanta, feeling that the group would have better opportunities in that city, musically and ministry-wise. Michael chose to stay in Indianapolis and soon afterward began his own group, The BackSoil Project.
, mentioned in Acts
in the Bible
, (Acts 17:19). "ILL" is capitalized for clarity, as it's often mistaken for the Roman number 3, or "iii".
critics alike. In 2002, Uprok Records
(a child label of Tooth & Nail Records
) offered to re-release the album. With this release, a few track changes were made: Under the Sun and The End from the Sphere of Hip Hop release were replaced with Sphere of Hip Hop (original), Fade to Black, and The Abolition of manCHILD.
executives began to get involved to the project which they planned to release as a major Gotee Records
release. However, on review of the track line-up, they discovered that certain tracks had uncleared samples
, and they put the project on hold until further notice. As Dust worked to clear the samples on some tracks and modify others, the release date was continually pushed back. To ease fans' disappointment and frustration, the group released Pirate Radio, showing their resilience through this trial. ProPains legal issues continued, however, and anticipation mounted through a premature release and recall, and several re-releases of previous albums. The waiting finally paid off in May 2006 when the CD finally came out shy a few tracks of the original, but with new songs to help complete the project. Lead singles included: "More" featuring Ahmad of 4th Avenue Jones
and Anthony David, and the revolution-minded "Sound Off".
Mars Ill Links
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The duo consists of Gregory Owens (manCHILD
ManCHILD
manCHILD is a Christian hip hop rapper and an avid contributor to alternative hip hop. His real full name is Gregory Lamar Owens...
) and Nathan Corrona (DJ Dust
DJ Dust
DJ Dust is the DJ and producer for the underground hip-hop group, Mars ILL. His real name is Nathan Corrona. DJ Dust is known for his hard hitting "boom bap" style of production, often mixing samples from obscure 60's and 70's guitar and drum driven records....
). They are also part of the hip-hop collective Deepspace5
Deepspace5
Deepspace5 is a Christian indie hip hop collective currently including Beat Rabbi, Manwell?/DJ Manwell, Fred B, Listener, manCHILD & DJ Dust of Mars ILL, Playdough, Sintax.the.Terrific, Sivion, and Sev Statik. Past Members have included Illtripp, Recon & The Pride...
.
Coming together in 1998, Mars Ill has released several albums and EPs through independent record labels and two albums on Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
. Their success in the underground hip-hop
Underground hip hop
Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed toindependent labels or no label at all....
movement in the early 2000s led to their performing at Scribble Jam
Scribble Jam
Scribble Jam was an annual hip hop music festival hosted in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dubbed "America's largest hip hop festival", it was co-founded in 1996 by "Fat" Nick Accurso, and Jason Brunson, founders of graffiti magazine Scribble, and DJ Mr Dibbs, in the parking lot of a local nightclub...
in 2003 and 2004 and, ultimately, their signing to Gotee
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
.
Beginnings
Before Nate and Greg met, Nate was the DJ for deadpoetsociety, a hip hop group based out of IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. The group consisted of three members, Nate Corrona (DJ Dust), Michael Porter (Rahlo), and Joel Wilson (Thin King), and performed at various venues in and around Indianapolis and the Mid-West from 1995 to 1999. In 1998, Nate attended a hip hop conference in Florida and met Greg Owens, who was at the time an MC for The Pride
The Pride (hip hop group)
The Pride was a hip-hop collective which consisted of manCHILD of Mars ILL, Sintax and Recon. They released their debut album About Our Father's Business in 1996 under Underground Records. manCHILD is the current MC for Mars ILL, while Sintax continues to release solo records...
, living in Atlanta. Greg was then asked to be a part of deadpoetsociety and subsequently toured with the group until around the end of 1999. At that point, Joel had left the group to return to his home in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and the three current members all decided to change the group name because, as Greg mentioned in an interview, "there [are] a lot of Dead Poets Society's around.". Nate then decided to move to Atlanta, feeling that the group would have better opportunities in that city, musically and ministry-wise. Michael chose to stay in Indianapolis and soon afterward began his own group, The BackSoil Project.
Origins of Group Name
The name "Mars Ill" is a shortened version of Mars HillAreopagus
The Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the "Rock of Ares", north-west of the Acropolis, which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens. Ares was supposed to have been tried here by the gods for the murder of Poseidon's son Alirrothios .The origin...
, mentioned in Acts
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, (Acts 17:19). "ILL" is capitalized for clarity, as it's often mistaken for the Roman number 3, or "iii".
Raw Material
The group's first album was called Raw Material, released on Sphere of Hip Hop Records, in early 2000. It was considered a success in the underground hip-hop movement, garnering rave reviews from both secular and ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
critics alike. In 2002, Uprok Records
Uprok Records
Uprok Records was a record label created in 1999 under the parent company Tooth & Nail Records, with a focus on distributing Christian hip-hop artists. The name Uprok Records refers to the breakdancing term . The first three artists on the label were Ill Harmonics, Sup the Chemist and MG! The...
(a child label of Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
) offered to re-release the album. With this release, a few track changes were made: Under the Sun and The End from the Sphere of Hip Hop release were replaced with Sphere of Hip Hop (original), Fade to Black, and The Abolition of manCHILD.
ProPain delays
Following the 2003 release of Backbreakanomics, Dust and manCHILD began work on a new album titled ProPain with a 2004 release date. As excitement built for the new album, EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
executives began to get involved to the project which they planned to release as a major Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
release. However, on review of the track line-up, they discovered that certain tracks had uncleared samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, and they put the project on hold until further notice. As Dust worked to clear the samples on some tracks and modify others, the release date was continually pushed back. To ease fans' disappointment and frustration, the group released Pirate Radio, showing their resilience through this trial. ProPains legal issues continued, however, and anticipation mounted through a premature release and recall, and several re-releases of previous albums. The waiting finally paid off in May 2006 when the CD finally came out shy a few tracks of the original, but with new songs to help complete the project. Lead singles included: "More" featuring Ahmad of 4th Avenue Jones
4th Avenue Jones
4th Avenue Jones is a Christian American hip hop band based in Los Angeles, California. Their name comes from the last name of founding members Ahmad and Tena Jones , and the street where they lived in South Central Los Angeles when they began their rehearsals.-The Interscope Years:4th Avenue Jones...
and Anthony David, and the revolution-minded "Sound Off".
Albums
- Raw Material.Raw Material. (album)Raw Material. is a Mars Ill album released in 2000, on Sphere of Hip Hop Records.- Track listing :# Mars Ill# Sphere of Hip-Hop# We'll Live Underground# Black Market # Love's Not...
(Sphere of Hip Hop Records, 2000) - Raw Material (Uprok)Raw Material (Uprok)(album)Raw Material is a Mars Ill album released in 2002, on Uprok Records. It's a re-release of the original Sphere of Hip Hop Records release from 2000, with a few track changes.- Track listing :# Mars Ill# Sphere of Hip-Hop part 2...
(Uprok RecordsUprok RecordsUprok Records was a record label created in 1999 under the parent company Tooth & Nail Records, with a focus on distributing Christian hip-hop artists. The name Uprok Records refers to the breakdancing term . The first three artists on the label were Ill Harmonics, Sup the Chemist and MG! The...
, 2002) - The Blue Collar SessionsThe Blue Collar Sessions-Track listing:# Intro-Progress# Live from Atlantis# 2 Steps# Redefine# The siren song# My coloring books# Badlands...
(EP, Ill Boogie Records 2002) - Sound MethodsSound MethodsSound Methods is a Mars Ill album released in 2002. It was only available at live shows, when the group was on tour. To meet fan demand, Mars Ill re-released Sound Methods, with additional tracks, titled Sound Methods 2.0...
(2002) - BackbreakanomicsBackbreakanomicsBackbreakanomics is a Mars Ill album released in 2003.- Track listing :# Eighty Eight# Breathe Slow# Planes and Trains # Afterlife# Black Box Artist # Inside Out# Enterchange# Let Me# Alpha Male...
(Gotee RecordsGotee RecordsGotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
, 2003) - Sound Methods 2.0Sound Methods 2.0Sound Methods 2.0 is a Mars Ill album released in 2003. It is practically the same as Sound Methods from 2002, but with additional tracks. As its predecessor, Sound Methods 2.0 was only available at live shows, and, later on, through online sales....
(re-release, 2004) - ProPainProPain- Track listing :# Pro Pain Intro# Say So# Sound Off# Dog Ear Page# More ft. Ahmad of 4th Avenue Jones and Anthony David# Just the Two of Us# Stand Back and Watch# Wicked Ways# All Out# Saturday Night Special ft. Ishues and D.R.E.S the Beatnik# Higher...
(Gotee RecordsGotee RecordsGotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
, 2004) - Pirate RadioPirate Radio (album)Pirate Radio is a Mars Ill album released in 2004.- Track listing :# Pirate Radio# The Beautiful Hustle# Reach# Flirt with Fame# One Run at Midnight# All I Know# Point Blank# Talkback# Mourning in the Morning - featuring Listener...
(2004) - The Blue Collar SessionsThe Blue Collar Sessions-Track listing:# Intro-Progress# Live from Atlantis# 2 Steps# Redefine# The siren song# My coloring books# Badlands...
(EP, re-released 2005) - Pirate Radio +PlusPirate Radio +PlusPirate Radio Plus is a Mars Ill album released in 2005. It is an all instrumental version of the album Pirate Radio and includes three songs not on the regular album.- Track listing :# Pirate Radio - 3:52# The Beautiful Hustle - 2:52# Reach - 3:11...
(2005) (instrumentals from Pirate Radio) - BackbreaksBackbreaks- Track listing :# Breathe Slow# Planes and Trains# Afterlife# Black Box Artist # Inside Out# Enterchange# Alpha Male# PSA #428# Freeze Framework# Sideline Speech# Next Door# Piecemeal# Sunstep# Lump Sum# The Calm Before...
(2005) (instrumentals from Backbreakanomics) - BackwaterprophetsBackwaterprophetsBackwaterprophets is a Mars Ill album released in 2005. It is a remix album of their 2003 release Backbreakanomics.- Track listing :# Eighty Eight# Breathe Slow# Planes and Trains Backwaterprophets is a Mars Ill album released in 2005. It is a remix album of their 2003 release Backbreakanomics.-...
(2005) (remix album of Backbreakanomics) - Pro*Pain (Gotee RecordsGotee RecordsGotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
, 2006) - ProPain (Instrumentals) (Gotee RecordsGotee RecordsGotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
, 2006) - Raw Material – 5 Year Anniversary Edition (2006) (instrumentals from Raw Material)
- Old IronsidesOld Ironsides (album)- Track listing :# Old Ironsides# Find You# Chains Gon' Break# Learning Me# Washed Down# A Visit from Bizzy Bone# Barnstorming# Smackwater Rhemedy# Boy Wonder# Evernobody# Rumble Road# Iron Clad - featuring Fred B# The Life and Times of a Simple Man...
(2006) - Slow FlameSlow FlameSlow Flame is a Mars Ill album released in 2007, on DeepSpace5 Records. Remix Album of Pro*Pain that features two new songs Feelin' So High and Run's Wonderland. Also, the three songs that were cut from the 2006 release were added.- Track listing :...
(2007) (remix album of Pro*Pain) - Black Listed Sessions (2008) (remix album of Blue Collar Sessions)
- Untitled upcoming 4th studio album, no release date set
Singles
- Mona LisaMona Lisa (Mars ILL song)-Track listing:Side 1:# "Mona Lisa" featuring Playdough, Jax and Lil Sci.# "Fade to Black" featuring Sintax.the.terrific# "Abolition of Manchild"Side 2:# "Mona Lisa" # "Fade to Black" # "Abolition of Manchild"...
(2001) - RedefineRedefine (song)-Track listing:Side 1# "Redefine" # "Redefine" Side 2# "Shuck & Jive" # "Shuck & Jive"...
(2002) - Breathe Slow (2003)
- Pro PainPro Pain (maxi single)Pro Pain is a maxi single by the American hip-hop duo Mars Ill, released in 2005.-Track listing:Side 1# More - featuring Ahmad Jones and Anthony David# Sound Off# Effortless - featuring X:144# Stand BackSide 2# More - instrumental...
(2005)
DJ Dust albums
- No FameNo Fame-Track listing:# LA Symphony - Broken Tape Decks# One Session - Lyrics Born# Ooh Ooh Ooh - De La Soul featuring Redman# Come Home to My Kitchen - Robert Johnson# Directions - Yeshua Da Poed# Mr...
(2006) - Dust Collecting Volume OneDust Collecting Volume OneDust Collecting Volume One is a Mars Ill album released in 2006.-Track listing:# My Life# The Night We Called It a Day# Talk Music# 2 Steps# FYI# One for the Road# This Curse I Bear# Crumbs# Do You See What I See# F-Words...
(2007) (instrumentals from Mars Ill, Deepspace5, and Sintax.the.Terrific) - Back To Dust (2008) Collaboration with Sev Statik of Deepspace5
Compilation contributions
- Uprok Records Sampler (UprokUprok RecordsUprok Records was a record label created in 1999 under the parent company Tooth & Nail Records, with a focus on distributing Christian hip-hop artists. The name Uprok Records refers to the breakdancing term . The first three artists on the label were Ill Harmonics, Sup the Chemist and MG! The...
, 2001) - Full Plates: Mixtape Vol. 2 (GoteeGotee RecordsGotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
, 2001) - BK & Associates (Uprok, 2002)
- Open Mic Volume 2 : Live at Crossover (2002)
- It's Time (2003)
- Hip Hope 2004 (2003)
- Phatmass: Massmatics (2003)
- Uprok Mixtape Vol. 2 (Uprok, 2003)
- Fashion Expo - Round One: Tru Hip-Hop (Syntax, 2004)
- Hip Hope 2005 (2004)
- Hip Hope 2006 (2005)
- Hip Hope 2007 (2006)
- The Genesis Project (2006)
- Heavy Rotation (HipHop Is Music, 2006)
- Sphere Of Hip Hop Vinyl Mix Vol 1 (2006)
- To The Ends Of The Earth Volume 1 (re-release) (End of Earth, 2007)
- Hip Hope 2008 (2007)
External links
Official- Official Mars Ill website
- Official Gotee Records website (requires Macromedia Flash)
- Official Deepspace5 website
Mars Ill Links
- Word Up (from Up High) Article on Mars Ill in Atlanta's free weekly, Creative Loafing
- Mars Ill Videos at SphereofhiphopTV.com
- Mars Ill Videos at Rapzilla.com
- Pro Pain Album Review - 2005 edition
- Interview with Dust and manCHILD
- HolyHipHop DataBase Mars Ill
- HolyHipHop DataBase DJ Dust