Based out of New Orleans, R&B/Hip Hop artist Marvin “Uptown” Harris is bursting on the scene with his own unique sound. His music is hard hitting and gritty, and his rap skills on point. With some work on the production of his songs, Uptown can move up the rap charts.

On the track “On Now,” Uptown showcases talent as a rapper– his rhyming and delivery are both on point. Unfortunately, it sounds as though he is yelling throughout the whole song. His overly loud delivery overpowers the decent beat, and only emphasizes the poor recording quality of the music. The sound is tinny and cheap, and Uptown’s voice sounds fuzzy from screaming into a poor quality microphone. “I’m Strapped” featuring rapper Hotboy sounds very similar to the aforementioned song. The beat is ok, but again the sound quality is tinny and Uptown yells his rhymes. It sounds as though the song was recorded in Uptown’s basement. The redeeming part of the song is guest Hotboy. His rapping skills match Uptown’s but he sounds better due to a more subdued style and lazy flow to his rhymes. The best offering by Uptown is the song “We Loud.” The track features artist Skinny, and actually sounds like a song heard on the radio. The beat is hot, the recording quality is improved, and Uptown tones down the yelling a bit. Uptown really gets to show off his skills in this song– his rapid fire delivery is flawless. Not many rappers can rhyme that fast, and do it that well. Skinny provides a catchy tune in the chorus. His singing is decent, but the Autotune is used a little too liberally. This song has a lot of potential.

Uptown is a talented rapper who needs to improve on some aspects of his music. Improved recording quality, fresher beats, and less yelling of the lyrics are things that need attention. With these improvements, Uptown will have a great chance at becoming a household name!

Beats: 3.0 Vocals: 2.5 Concepts: 2.5