Atlanta’s MARCO PLUS is a wordsmith, storyteller, and an artist that can paint a wider picture in a vivid manner. His latest project, Tha Soufside Villain LP proves this, as it is chock full of detail-rich lyrics, commanding flows, and vibrant soundscapes. While he has been rising in hip-hop’s underground quickly in recent years with projects like the poignant Tha Souf Got Sum 2 Say, as well as collaboration with Kenny Mason on lead single “Dawg!”- his latest full-length project finds him delivering a strong statement and further making his mark as an emcee with much character, possessive of dazzling technical abilities.
Raw and nocturnal yet simultaneously rich, soulful, and vivid, Tha Soufside Villain LP finds MARCO PLUS unceasingly energetic and focused as he attacks the mic with each track. His relentlessly engaging flow and powerful delivery command the listener’s full attention as he weaves together dextrous rhyme patterns at a rapid pace. Across the project’s 14-song runtime, it brings a consistent vital ferocity and simply never lets up, as PLUS paints lucid pictures atop gritty, immersive instrumentation with his sharp pen game. Songs like “Cage” are expansive and elegant, with winding, silky strings and glimmering keys setting a surreal backdrop for PLUS’ cathartic verses. “Dawg!” with Kenny Mason makes for a more hard-hitting cut, with pouring 808s and ethereal, reverb-soaked samples creating an imposing mood, alongside the two emcees infectious vocals.”Painkiller” is exemplary of PLUS’ superb mic skills and ability to connect to the listener, as it contains candid lyricism delivered with such a potent, emotionally dense urgency. It makes for a truly powerful listen overall- one of many across this 14-song LP.
Tha Soufside Villain LP marks another strong release from this rising Atlanta emcee, and it is full of soulful, poignant moments that imprint themselves in the listener’s mind as PLUS concocts vivid imagery atop hypnotic, nocturnal instrumentals.
