Artist Of The Month: Marc E. Bassy

Marc E. Bassy is contemporary R&B/Pop singer/songwriter, Marc Griffin. The San Francisco performer first became known to music fans as a member of Pop/Dance/Hip Hop band, 2AM Club, a band that released the album What Did You Think Was Going To Happen? in 2010 on RCA Records, but went on an indefinite hiatus in 2015. Bassey who is now a Los Angeles-based artist soon began to make quite a name for himself, composing hits for the likes of Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Chris Brown, Jordan Fisher, Charlie Puth, and Pia Mia.

Music By 2 AM Club

2AM Club

“Worry About You”

From What Did You Think Was Going To Happen?

RCA Records/RMG

Having recently broken up with a long-term girlfriend and with his band of 10 years, Marc found the strength and inspiration to cope by going through a period of self-medicating and non-stop partying, followed by binge-reading his favorite authors Charles Bukowski and Henry Miller (with whom he felt a special connection, because they too, had experienced the lowest of lows while staying in East Hollywood). Feeding this need to create, Marc got down to songwriting again, but this time with a renewed vigor to zero in on his personal sound. “I had been writing songs for other people for so long that I got a lot of practice,” he says. “Once I started focusing on my own music again, I finally realized how to combine that element of making something stick with my own voice. This style of music was what I’d always been chasing.”

The product of his creative revelation, East Hollywood EP, crystallized Marc’s approach. Co-produced with Count Bassy, the five-song set cumulatively amassed 1 million Soundcloud plays-and-counting over the course of the summer and caught the attention of The Roots drummer, Questlove, who personally requested that Marc perform at his annual Roots Picnic outdoor festival. Friend and recent collaborator Kehlani followed suit when she asked Marc to open for her West Coast tour. Republic Records took notice, quickly inking a deal with Marc to give East Hollywood a proper commercial release on December 18th, 2015.

Featured on the EP, Marc teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign to write and produce “That’s Love” – a melancholy song written about vulnerability, trust, and unconditional love that combines boozy, bass-heavy production with brutal honesty and sexy storytelling. Originally written as a song for Ty to use, Marc ultimately kept it for himself at Ty’s urging. True to Marc’s form, the song possesses two elements of his signature style – the subject matter embraces the good, along with the bad and ugly, while the lyrics are autobiographical yet relatable. Marc explains, “That song is about young love. There’s no better feeling when you and your significant other are going crazy, yelling, and fighting just because you F***ing love each other so much.”

Marc E. Bassey Featuring Ty Dolla $ign

“That’s Love”

From East Hollywood-EP

Republic Records

 In 2016, Bassy became the hottest new voice to rise from Republic Records. He spent the majority of that year as an opening act on G-Eazy’s ‘When It’s Dark Out World Tour” tour with A$AP Ferg, and Nef the Pharaoh. That experience led to Marc writing his best, most authentic music to date while also hitting his stride on stage. He channeled all that energy into his second Republic EP, Groovy People, which was released on August 5, 2016. 

His Groovy People EP spawned the platinum-certified,”You & Me” which featured his tour mate and friend, rapper G-Eazy. The song has racked up over 244 million Spotify streams and counting. The follow-up hit “Morning“ cracked 31 million Spotify streams during his headlining The Groovy People Tour this past fall. Along the way, he’s received widespread acclaim from Billboard, Complex, Spin, and more.

In August of 2017, Bassy released “Plot Twist” f/ KYLE, which has garnered over 18M+ streams on Spotify, while the “Plot Twist (Remix f/ Hailee Steinfeld) continues to grow with nearly 18M plus Spotify streams. Bassy’s debut album from Republic Records, Gossip Columns was released on October 13, 2017, and features appearances from his frequent collaborators, G-Eazy, Kyle, Kehlani, Hailee Steinfeld, Bobby Brackins, and YG.

Marc E. Bassey Featuring Kyle 

“Plot Twist” (Explicit)

From Gossip Columns

Republic Records

Marc E. Bassey Featuring Bobby Brackins

“Gossip Columns”

From Gossip Columns

Republic Records

Marc is currently on an extensive tour for Spring 2018. In support of Gossip Columns [Republic Records], he is launched the headlining “Gossip Columns” Tour across the country in between dates where he is supporting Ty Dolla $ign on the “Don’t Judge Me Tour.”

Check out the full confirmed itinerary below and Gossip Columns is out everywhere now.

TOUR DATES:
3/6       Des Moines, IA*
3/7       Minneapolis, MN*
3/8       Chicago, IL*
3/9       Milwaukee, WI*
3/10     St. Louis, MO*
3/11     Indianapolis, IN*
3/13     Detroit, MI*
3/14     Toronto, ON*
3/16     Reading, PA*
3/17     Boston, MA*
3/18     Albany, NY*
3/20     New York, NY*
3/21     Philadelphia, PA*

*/Supporting Ty Dolla $Ign on the “Don’t Judge Me” Tour

“GOSSIP COLUMNS” TOUR
3/28     Denver, CO
3/29     Salt Lake City, UT
3/30     Las Vegas, NV
3/31     Phoenix, AZ
4/3       San Diego, CA
4/4       Los Angeles, CA
4/6       San Luis Obispo, CA
4/7       Santa Cruz, CA
4/8       San Francisco, CA
4/9       Portland, OR
4/10     Seattle, WA
4/12     Santa Ana, CA
4/13     Santa Barbra, CA