GK: As a performing musician, stage presence and personal branding are important. How do you manage your stage presence so that people KNOW when Marcus Machado takes the stage?
MM: For me, it's pretty simple, stay true to what you do... When I'm on stage, that's the platform to get everything (you're feeling inside) out. Whatever you're feeling at the moment, you just leave it all on the stage. With that connection, that's how you can bring the audiences with you (to the music) and take them somewhere else. For me, that's what it's all about.
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Endure
I am second-generation Sierra-Leonean, born and raised in the United States. My childhood was sensitive; I grew up with racist Whites and angry Blacks that overtly and secretly despised Whites. I grew up with boys just as angry as Killmonger. Add Africans into the mix and it gets tricky. Many of my peers categorized me as an African, resenting and isolating me. I was made fun for having parents from Africa with thick accents. African Booty Scratcher. Big Lip Bitch. Ugly Darkie. My hair was always braided, and therefore considered short and ugly. I was forced to embrace my studies because hanging out at the mall was foolish, according to my parents. In many ways, I was an outcast at school…
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Celebrating the Achievements of Africans in the Diaspora
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