Markaček's Open-Minded Close Encounters

Markaček is like any other 21 year old. He wakes up, showers, brushes his teeth & orders an iced latte and a pastry from a cafe. He also works on music for 5-6 hours, every single day. The 21 year old Chicago native was previously known as Dremmz, but switched to honor his mother’s last name, as he explains “After my mother marries, I will be the only Markaček left.”

He’s no stranger to conceptual rap, interweaving in socio-political visuals, such as the album cover for his newest release “manifesto”, where the explicit imagery on the phallic display represents the raw and provocative nature something as simple as a c*ndom can determine. “Imagine if H*tler’s father used one, or if Nikola Tesla’s father didn't use one.”

The anti-marketing of his subject matter, social media content & music videos prove unconventional to an audience, yet a perfect fit for his artistry. Take the visual for 97% as an example. It shows off Markaček’s great eye for surrealism and scene-setting, while being able to work with his surroundings of the steel mill that he works security at. “I plan on taking you even farther with my “The Red Sheperd” album, with visuals being shot in Turkiyë, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan.”

Outside of music, the media that inspires him most seems to be architecture, film, and real-world experiences. Being able to soak in something that already exists in life, and expressing it in his own language is beautifully apparent. “My favorite films are “The Color of Pomegranates”, "The Machinist", and "Borat". My favorite architectural styles are Ottoman, Brutalism, retro-futurism, and ancient Islamic architecture. I take a lot of inspiration from Middle-Eastern culture, Balkan culture, and Central Asian nomadic culture.”

The production & mixing are quite captivating all across “manifesto”, and the lyrics are exceptionally impressive. “I try my best to approach my writing as a film writer rather than a rapper. I think another thing that sets my writing apart is that I've never written for the sake of coming off as technically gifted, or being a human dictionary. I just write what feels real to me, and what I imagine would sound meaningful when said out loud. Not every track needs a super in-depth wordy rap verse, and sometimes it's essential to tell a story using different deliveries and vocal inflections rather than detailed writing.”

Markaček is a solo act, continuing to be very hands-on with his work, very rarely bringing in other people to help on projects, but one exception is Eli S-L contributing some background earcandy on "#offthemap" and “we are hungry”. “Other than that, I gotta show love to my brother Shuvame, whom I will be putting out music with very soon, and my brother Parker for constantly supporting me and continuing to be an amazing friend throughout the 11 years we've known each other, even though he may not agree with a lot of my lyrics on “manifesto”.”