Life & Work with UnLearn The World

Today we’d like to introduce you to UnLearn The World.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in New York City in what most people would consider the Golden Era of Hip Hop music and culture. I was very much immersed and enamored in it as a child and into my adulthood. Moving to the Bay Area, California, I brought my New York sense of hustle to the local Hip Hop scene was very much embraced by the underground. After a life-changing trip to Cuba, I decided to leave my day job, to become a Hip Hop educator. That journey led me to being Education Director for the nonprofit Hip Hop For Change. I now teach students in the Bay Area and around the country the history and culture of Hip Hop as a healthy form of self-expression. It’s that journey in myself that I try to chronicle in my music as UnLearn The World.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
They’re a lot of challenges that come with being an independent artists, especially in a small media market, like the Bay Area. Though there is a thriving arts community in the Bay Area, a lot of the resources needed for artists to thrive are not here. Years of being broke, trying to make ends meet doing music while trying to support two kids can weigh on you, but I knew that there was going to be a part where the hard work paid off. I learned how to incorporate my education work into my brand as an artist and it allowed me to really do amazing things. I came down from the Bay Area to LA to work on my album and I’ve been so inspired by all the people I work with out here. From my folks at Entourage Management, my engineer Wash CMX, my videographer Owl Green, We’ve been able to put a system in place to really raise my profile as an artist and make people pay attention. I leveraged those resources to build team of support around me to begin producing my best work. I feel the world is just starting to respond to my presence and pay attention to me. It’s been a long road, but I’m excited that after all these years, there’s still room for growth.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve been a rapper, songwriting and MC since I was 10 years old. I started producing and making beats in my late 20’s. I’ve lived a lifetime worth of experiences to draw from to write powerful and insightful pieces of rap music that provide social commentary, empowerment and can entertain you just as much as it can make you think. Since my life covers over 30 years of Hip Hop history, I make sure people get a sense of that history and legacy when they hear my music. My most recent album CROWNS was recording and mixed here in Hollywood and was predominantly self-produced, but also featured Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum producers and artists. It has been my most successful work to date and the piece of art I am most proud of. I definitely think I am paving a lane for myself as an artist that most rappers or Hip Hop artists either don’t embrace or they are scared to navigate. I am definitely comfortable in the lane I’m in and the people support what I do creatively as well as in the community.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
It’s funny. I’ve been doing a lot of healing work lately, going to therapy, reflecting on my life, my wants and needs and I often think about my teenage years and just hanging out with my brothers. I often talk about how me and my brothers would hang out on the rooftop of our tenement building in Washington Heights New York, where I’m from. We used to have the best conversations about girls, life, the world around us, but also deep things like spirituality, UFOs and then we’d rap, just to have fun. I’m very fond of those memories, especially now since I have kids of my own. Just the other day, they were going somewhere and when I asked where they were headed, they said “Just going to the rooftop to hang out”. It was a complete full-circle moment that made me happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.unlearntheworld.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/unlearntheworld
• Facebook: facebook.com/unlearntheworld
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/authwall?trk=bf&trkInfo=AQEoENzskWytFAAAAYX5_CcQ4di1S5KAMzG60jmphB8ZSACrjxW9xqs6qmJg71uLhjsZlQIMSVOYC9Y3mHIQhSyTqZ0a3FpNMeNo73wfbCsYqYhMImGKIO4-zqdcMTiKE6x0ptw=&original_referer=&sessionRedirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fc-marlon-richardson-11648324
• Twitter: twitter.com/unlearntheworld
• Youtube: youtube.com/unlearntheworld
• SoundCloud: Soundcloud.com/unlearntheworld 

Image Credits
Sarah Arnold Nicola Antonazzo Owl Green