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Biography

Infectious hooks. Insightful rhymes.  A refreshing take on Hip-Hop.  Blending classic soul, modern beats, and futuristic funk, Yung Mars has created and refined a sound that is truly original. His music has more head and more heart than your average radio rap.  It speaks to people.  It’s like getting an inside look into the young lyricist’s journal—spinning with raw social commentary, and self-awareness that feels remarkably honest.


Yung Mars has his hand in every stage of the creative process, from beat making and arranging, to mixing and mastering. Favoring live instrumentation to sample-based music, he plays guitar, bass, and keys on many of his tracks. With a penchant for clever word play and thick harmonized choruses, Mars’ songs are catchy without being cliché.   


Yung Mars wowed the college scene in 2007, when his self-titled debut reached #3 on the CMJ Hip Hop Top 20—the only self-released album on the charts at the time.  His heavy college airplay was followed up with regular shows up and down the California coast—from San Francisco (The Elbo Room, The Red Devil Lounge) to LA (The Derby, The Mint), and college towns in between. He was also the official route entertainment for AIDS WALK SF, NY, and LA 2008. 


His latest project—Santa Cruz or Bust—combines modern "mixtape style" mash-ups with a premium blend of new originals. Inspired by the kickback lifestyle of the Santa Cruz scene,  nearly every track features a different Bay Area collaborator, from rappers and singers, to horn players and string sections.  The record was getting love nationwide, spending over 2 months at  #5 on the CMJ Hip-Hop charts this spring. 


"Mars has deftly assembled an organic Hip-Hop group..."

-Groundliftmag

"Mars strikes me as a kind of Bay Area Bradley Nowell (the late singer/songwriter from Sublime). Mars' music incorporates rap, rock, and reggae...and even breaks it down to just acoustic guitar and vocals while still bringing poignant thoughts and the ever important funk..." 

-Ohdangmag.com