D.C. Music Artist Mark Acquaye Uses Powerful Lyrics To Influence The Next Generation

Photography: Adedayo Kosoko, The Art Hype

As I sit down to talk with 29 year-old, D.C. recording artist Mark Acquaye, I can’t help but thank him several times for squeezing me into an already packed schedule. How he’s managed to juggle a video call with album promo, an interview-format podcast, and a full-time, corporate schedule is beyond me. Oh, not to mention he’s in the middle of shooting a music video from his February 2021, project Malcolm Next. Whew.

Thankfully, he’s in the presence of good company. His team all traveled to New York for the shoot (“good people attract good people,” he remarks when asked how he assembled such a helpful team). The video shoot, which drew inspiration from the life and legacy of Malcolm X, originally took place in DC, but Mark, who values attention to detail and homage that shows respect, still felt like something was missing. “[DC] was cool, it fulfilled its purpose,” he says, “but Malcolm was assassinated in New York City, and I really felt like we needed to ‘get’ that piece.” Yet even in the middle of a packed schedule, Mark is happy to talk about his work. As we venture into our conversation he openly unpacks his story. We speak about his podcast, 99 celsius, gearing up for season two, discuss the woes of balancing a full-time corporate job with a creative career, and even touch on how he began his successful event company, Spladr. It’s a lot to cover, and for Mark, there seems to be so much to say – he speaks a lot. One thought spews into another, which expands on another, which introduces a new thought. One may compare asking him a question to opening pandora’s box, except what unleashes from Mark isn’t chaotic. His views on community, his thoughts on artistry, and his commitment to his evolution are rooted in strong beliefs and spoken with firm conviction. What he has to say, matters. If Mark seems to speak a lot, the reason why is made clear very early in our conversations. When it comes to what’s going on in the community, there’s simply far too much to say, and even more importantly, far too much at stake to stay quiet!

One of the ways Mark is sharing his voice? His music. His early 2021 EP, Malcolm Next, released under his artist name Kway, is Mark’s spirited debut into hip-hop. Boasting a 15-song tracklist, Malcolm Next is a 49 minute artistic display and intimate reflection of Mark’s life experiences. The project stemmed from Mark’s interest in the life and philosophies of human rights activist, minister, and community leader Malcolm X, whose speeches, Mark believes, serve as a commentary for living in 2021. It’s a passionate debut, and a proud moment celebrating the culmination of Mark’s hard work, skillful collaboration, and pure talent. With emotionally-charged tracks such as “Still Praise,” and poetic reflections such as, “Our Part,” it’s hard to catch all the nuances on first listen. “It isn’t a spin once, spin twice project,” Mark remarks. “Malcolm Next is the kind of project you need to sit with for a long period of time. There’s layers, insights, concepts, themes, and things you only recognize through sitting with it and dissecting it in conversations.”

And that’s exactly what’s happened. He’s received an outpouring of support and positive feedback from friends, family, and coworkers alike. “Everyone who has heard it has really enjoyed it,” Mark says graciously. “The response has been incredible. As an artist, I hope the amount of time that’s spent with it is increased. That would be my one desire, for people to sit with it longer, take it in, and really dissect it.” When asked if there’s pressure to quickly put out another piece of work people will love, Mark acknowledges the pressure, but ultimately shakes off the fear. He rests firmly on his belief that good work takes time. “I’d rather put out great art and have to regain momentum, than keep momentum and have to put out sub-par art,” he says.

Though it’s his first official musical release, nothing about Malcolm Next has been sub-par. Working with a talented team, such as videographer Devin Tubbs and photographer Adedayo Kosoko, Mark has released impressive promotional material. He credits this supernova team to his support system at The Dojo, a creative studio space located in Capitol Heights, Maryland. A few years ago, Mark, who had been going through a lot at the time, found refuge in their close-knit collective. “I needed that kind of community,” he reveals, “I was low-key depressed around that time, and going there pulled me out. It was somewhere to go every single week, to get access to this group of people who were super cool and like-minded. At the time, I didn’t have a podcast and I wasn’t rapping. I felt like I had all these creative ideas [without] the proper platform to push them, so this was the perfect soil.” The Dojo quickly became a safe space where Mark could receive creative advice and feedback on his work, as well as contribute to insightful community dialogue amongst peers. “It was a really profound space,” he recalls. “A lot of us were black men, and we’d have these really powerful conversations about therapy, emotional wellbeing, society, what was next for us as a people, and how we can do better.”

It is these types of powerful dialogues that seem to drive Acquaye. Though I can never claim to know God’s true intent for us all, Mark's purpose seems to rest in igniting important conversations. In everything Mark creates, he seems to embed the belief there are always more ideas to explore, more questions to ask, and more stories to tell one another. “At my core, storytelling is always going to be my main thing,” Mark says. “I’m fascinated by ideas. I see stories at the center of everything. Whether it’s marketing, branding, writing, poetry, rap, or even public speaking, I’m [interested in] anything that gives me the opportunity to create a concept and tell a story.” Yet storytelling for the purpose of mindless entertainment, holds no weight for Mark. His efforts are tied to a greater purpose. “I didn’t want to just be someone who was motivating an audience, giving all these powerful words, but it's never anchored to a concrete message,” he says. For a man who values optimizing one’s potential, Mark strives to create art where he’s able to openly dissect his experiences, learn, and subsequently release the best version of himself. “I’m using my experiences as a case study,” he says, “Because that’s what Malcolm Next is, right? It’s me and my journey of a lack of identity, and falling short in my relationships with black women in my life. It’s my past of not understanding the need to be open minded toward sexual orientation, or the differences amongst other groups of people. It’s me saying, hey this is my life and this is where I have fallen short.” His purpose doesn’t just stop at his own self-awareness. The underlying message of Mark’s storytelling is clear - let’s all do better. “I think ultimately it comes back to inspiring and motivating people to be the best version of themselves,” Mark says, “and just hoping I can create a blueprint along the way.”

Yet, for all his talk on creativity and artistry, it’s when the conversation turns toward community that Mark truly shines. For all his talk on Malcolm X, as I listen to Mark speak on society, I’m strongly reminded of another historic black figure, President Barack Obama. In fact, the way Mark speaks on intertwining communities, opening communication and fostering dialogue is heavily reminiscent of Obama’s reflections in his 2020 book, A Promised Land. Like President Obama, Mark truly wants people to see and connect with each other. And more than that, he carries the belief that, through open dialogue and honest storytelling, we will.

Is it a foolish ideal? To believe that, in time, one line, from one track, from one EP can connect a community, and ultimately a generation? Maybe. But the scope of a man’s character is measured by various things – his faith, his job title, the woman by his side, his talent. For Mark, it’s his belief that shapes his fortitude. Meeting Mark, you won’t get hit over the head with passionate declarations of ‘Yes we can!’ or an aggressively pumped fist in the air. But if you sit with him and listen to what he says, his belief is embedded in every word. As he slips from topic to topic, chattering about relationship dynamics between black men and black women before switching to views on socioeconomic classes, each word is laced with the same core sentiment, I believe in my community.

“As a man, I’m constantly having conversations with men about all types of things on how to be better,” he speaks, “When you look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it’s like human beings crave for this attention and affection and connection and belonging to groups of people. And living in your truth doesn’t always necessarily guarantee that. Sometimes people have to balance this need to live in your truth and share those things because it's authentic to you, but there’s also this other need of wanting to be socially accepted and connected to people. In the best case world, everyone is just fully themselves, but I feel like we all have forms of masks that are put on to retain social relationships that we have. When it comes to community,” he explains, “there’s tons of levels. Characteristically, what builds tight communities is shared ideals, yet it's more than [one specific] commonality. It helps when you can align in morals and values and beliefs. Certainly the larger the community gets, it becomes harder to achieve that,” he admits, “but there’s always the opportunity to create community. I aspire to look for similarities and connection points amongst groups of people even when connections aren’t obvious,” he shares. “Certainly the Black community, the African American community, the Ghanian community, those are communities I share identity with and are important to me. I would like to think,” he says wistfully, “at a very high level, I aspire and hope for a human community. That’s important to me. I think we need that. I think the world needs that.”

He speaks with the same hopeful conviction as the notable leaders before him. Just like President Obama and Malcolm X, Mark appears hopeful that a brighter future exists ahead – one with ties that unite rather than divide. “I think communities can exist anywhere,” he shares, “There are tons of communities. Look [for places] to identify, look at anything you believe in or identify with, and look to see who else may have that same experience. Ultimately, there is work that goes into community. There’s effort. There’s time spent. It’s like a relationship. Community is like a relationship between a group of people,” he says. “I think what you put in is what you get out.”

There’s no doubt Mark’s beliefs, his experiences, and his transparency within his music has inspired much-needed conversation amongst his audience. Yet, maybe the most rewarding dialogue thus far, has been the conversations his transparency has inspired within his own family. “My personal journey of therapy, healing, and self-actualization has led to new conversations as a family about parenting and things I would have liked to see [growing up],” he shares happily. “While the first few months they were resistant,” he admits, “now we’re having different, better conversations.” It’s a change that’s inspired Mark. “I see [my parents] trying to acknowledge and put certain things into practice. Even at the age of 70 or 62, they’re still working towards becoming the best version of themselves,” he remarks with a smile. “Which is dope!” he adds.

Like his parents, Mark hopes never to stop striving to improve. “My obligation is evolution. I think everything comes back down to that - doing my personal best to make sure I’m doing my personal best.” With anything that he touches, Mark hopes to leave his best self. I’d like to think he does. Part of that best self includes passing on information to the next, something he does not only through his music, but through mentorship, as well. “I feel like that’s a responsibility we all have,” Mark says, “if you come up on some information that makes you the best version of yourself, you gotta share that. You should also be open to receiving that information from people,” he advises, “and try to listen more than you talk, because pride always comes before the fall.” His obligation of evolution may be a personal mantra, but it's one Mark believes strengthens us as a whole. “It’s all about making people better, and ultimately making the world better,” he says. “At least, that’s how I see my role.”

It’s a role I hope he never abdicates. As we wrap up our lengthy conversation, I’ve come to realize Mark truly appreciates those who pay attention to what he has to say. And those who aren’t listening? Well, not only is he undeterred, he seems almost incentivized under the obligation to make them pay attention in order to shift our community’s attention to important issues that may slide by unnoticed. Bring up one topic, and Mark will point you to a perspective you probably haven’t considered. Introduce one social injustice, and like the unfolding of an accordion, Mark will expand on its complexities. People like Mark are needed. In a cultural climate where people are so afraid to say anything, much less something honest, we need men who aren’t afraid to keep talking. I’m struck with the thought that to a man who values reaching purpose and achieving potential, Mark’s commitment to his community is because he sees the potential of what could be. I can’t help but feel inspired by his convictions. In a space where so many of us have given up hope, his belief is refreshing.

In what may sound like a political cliché, Mark believes in the potential of a stronger future, and he sees the success of our community to reach that potential. It is because of this belief Mark pushes not only himself, but us as well, to step into our very best selves in order to reach it. Can we? I’d like to hope so. At the very least, I do believe we may reach something better. Safer. Kinder. But it’s going to take work, it’s going to take effort, and it’s going to take dialogue to get there. In knowing this, I am more inclined to understand why Mark talks so much. In fact, I hope he never stops. • zt.

Connect with Mark: Instagram, Listen to Malcolm Next, Youtube, Spladr, 99 Celsius Podcast

Words by Zauni Tanil
Photography: Adedayo Kosoko, The Art Hype

MARK ACQUAYE

RYAN ALEXANDER