Toledo needs some good news. The inner city has been plagued by violence. At times, it seems the only way one can better his/her situation is to leave. This is the story of one Toledoan who did just that — and is now receiving attention from national recording artists.

Mally the Martian has been making music since his mother bought him a keyboard at 13. His uncle, Mr. Rite, was an accomplished local artist, opening for major recording acts all across the Midwest. He was a key component in Mally’s decision to seriously pursue music.

“He planted the seed in me to take it a step further by the ambition he had,” Mally said.

People tend to forget about all the seeds planted in Toledo. An R&B artist could look to the career of Anita Baker, who’s still performing and generating revenue. And more recently, Hip-Hop artist B Wills won BET’s “106 & Park’s Wild Out Wednesday” competition twice, and has a single hitting national radio soon. Everyone isn’t self-motivated (which is actually a problem if the music industry is really the goal), but there are Toledoans trying to influence and inspire young artists.

Mally took inspiration from his uncle and surpassed his success. After hitting a glass ceiling in Toledo, the rapper/producer bought a plane ticket and moved to New York City. Knowing that relationships can be more important than talent, Mally had already established professional ties with platinum-selling recording artist Fabolous and his brother, Paul Cain.

Moving to the biggest city in the country with no friends, family or financial backing is scary. But it was a chance Mally was willing to take.

“Either I have blind ambition or [a lot of] faith in myself,” he said.

For any artist to be successful on a major level, self-confidence and sleepless nights go hand in hand.

“I know there are people who make better beats than I do, but their hustle isn’t as strong as mine,” he said, and in case you didn’t know, hustle + relationships = a platform for your talent to be recognized.

What has Mally done that’s so special? He officially moved to New York in October; two months later, one of his tracks was selected for Fabolous’ highly successful mixtape, “There Is No Competition 3: Death Comes in 3’s” released at Christmas. It was a direct result of hard work; Mally said his daily routine consists of eating, going into the studio and creating. That’s it. Notice there was no mention of smoking, drinking, fornicating or going to the club. If that’s what you choose to do, fine, but remember: Your situation is a direct reflection of the work you put in.

The mixtape track, “Death in the Family,” features Paul Cain and is a fan favorite. Perhaps Mally’s nickname, “the Martian,” originates from his style of production. The drums on the track provide an effortless bounce, but the melody has an outer-space feel that even Fabolous said was a breath of fresh air for the industry.

The placement on Fabolous’ mixtape has garnered national exposure for Mally. He now has other national recording artists asking him for music, which allows him financial security and the freedom to look out for the artists in his hometown. He admits that he charges Toledo artists less, and does more to ensure a hot track. And while Mally loves his city, his message remains the same: Sometimes you have to leave to make your situation better, so that you’re able to uplift your city.

Good thing Mally the Martian had the courage to do something that unfortunately doesn’t come naturally to everyone — pursue his dreams. They’re now his reality.

Tags: lilD, Mally the Martian, The Word I Heard

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 12:22 pm and is filed under Music, Star.
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