Scarlxrd

Marius Lucas Antonio Listhrop[1] (born 19 June 1994), better known as Scarlxrd (pronounced "Scarlord"), is a British rapper. He is known for his unique musical style combining elements of trap music and heavy metal, and is considered a pioneer of the trap metal genre. Formerly a YouTube personality known as Mazzi Maz, Scarlxrd began a career in music as the vocalist for nu metal band Myth City, before debuting as a rapper under his Scarlxrd moniker.

Scarlxrd
Scarlxrd in 2021
Background information
Birth nameMarius Lucas Antonio Listhrop[1]
Also known as
  • Mazzi Maz
Born (1994-06-19) 19 June 1994
Wolverhampton, West Midlands, UK[2][3]
Genres
Occupation(s)Rapper, singer, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2014–present
LabelsIsland, Lxrd
Associated acts

He rose to prominence after the music video for his single "Heart Attack" which gained significant attention, holding over 95 million views on YouTube as of March 2022.[4] He has since released other successful songs, namely "King, Scar", "6 Feet", "Berzerk", and "Head Gxne".

YouTube career

Before he started a career in music, Listhrop began uploading videos on YouTube as Mazzi Maz. His personality on the site was described as a "perky" and "super-smiley YouTuber" who recorded and published vlogs in his bedroom.[2][5] He often collaborated with friends and fellow YouTube personalities Sam Pepper and Caspar Lee.[2] From late-2013 to mid-2014, Listhrop and Pepper embarked on a worldwide comedy-music tour, "WDGAF Tour".[6][7] By February 2017, Listhrop removed all of his Mazzi Maz videos from his YouTube channel and has since rebranded it to his Scarlxrd moniker. In a 2018 Interview, Listhrop described his time as a YouTube personality and posting videos on the site as "soul-destroying".[2]

Music career

2014–2016: Myth City
Mazzi Maz speaking at the 2014 VidCon at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California

In 2014, Listhrop founded the nu metal/rap rock band Myth City, in which he performed as the vocalist.[2][5][8] Listhrop also described the band's sound as a fusion of rap music and grindcore.[5] The band's YouTube channel quickly gained a following mainly consisting of Mazzi Maz fans, who gave the group a mixed reception; fans responded positively to Listhrop's screamed vocals, but were confused on the contrast between the band's harsh musical style and Listhrop's "smiley" YouTube videos.[2] Myth City released their self-titled debut EP on 28 February 2015.[9]

2016–2018: Early albums and breakthrough
Listhrop performing in 2018
Listhrop performing in 2018

In August 2016, Scarlxrd debuted his new moniker with the release of "Girlfriend". The music video depicts him unmasked and rapping over a "humid, tropical hip-hop track".[2][10] By the end of 2016, he released two albums, his self-titled album (stylised in Japanese characters as スカー藩主) and Rxse. After the release of two more albums, Cabin Fever and Chaxsthexry, in April 2017, Scarlxrd released the video for "Chain$aw" on 31 May; a week later, he released the music video for "King, Scar".[11] On 23 June, he published the music video for "Heart Attack" and the video quickly gained popularity; he credits his consistency of releasing music videos, specifically the videos for "Chain$aw" and "King, Scar", for the video's popularity rise.[11] On 29 September, he released his fifth studio album Lxrdszn.[12] “King, Scar” and "Chain$aw" were also released as music kits in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

In February 2018, it was announced that Scarlxrd would perform at the 2018 Reading and Leeds Festivals.[13] In April, it was revealed that he would be featured on Carnage's second studio album, Battered Bruised & Bloody, released on 13 April; Scarlxrd performed on the song "Up Nxw".[14] On 4 May, he released his sixth studio album and major label debut Dxxm via Island Records.[5][15]

2018–2020: Continued major label releases

After releasing singles from mid-2018 to early-2019 in anticipation of an upcoming album, including "Hxw They Judge", "Berzerk", "Sx Sad", and "Head Gxne", Scarlxrd announced his seventh studio album, Infinity, which was released on 15 March 2019.[16] He was a nominee in the 2019 Kerrang! Awards for Best British Breakthrough.[17][18] Later that year, "The Purge" was featured on the first season of the HBO television series Euphoria.[19] Scarlxrd released his second album of 2019 titled Immxrtalisatixn on 4 October.[20] He released his third 2019 studio album on 13 December, titled Acquired Taste Vxl 1. On 19 December, "I Can Dx What I Want" was announced as the official theme song for the WWE NXT UK event, NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II.

2021–present: Independent releases

On 14 January 2021, Scarlxrd released "Let the Wxrld Burn" via his independent label Lxrd Records, marking his first release since his departure from Island Records. On 5 February, Scarlxrd released his 12th studio album Dxxm II, a sequel to his 2018 project Dxxm. Later that year, he featured on "Dead Desert" by Trippie Redd, which also featured Zillakami. Scarlxrd also released a collaborative EP with Ghostemane titled Lxrdmage.

Artistry
Scarlxrd wearing his signature surgical mask at a concert in 2018

Scarlxrd's combination of trap music and heavy metal has been dubbed "trap metal", a style which multiple publications have described him as a pioneer of.[21][22][5][23] He is often associated with SoundCloud rap artists.[24][25] In a 2018 article, NME described him as a "tormented outsider hip-hop artist".[2] They also called him a "rap metal overlord" and his style to include "screamed vocals, claustrophobic trap beats and ear-shredding bursts of distorted guitar",[2] as well as calling it a fusion of metal and "nihilistic rap".[26] Scarlxrd grew up listening to heavy metal music and cites hip hop artists including Missy Elliott, Nelly and Eminem as influences.[2] He also stated that he formed Myth City after listening to Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, Incubus and Deftones.[5]

He is known to replace the letter "o" with "x", which is shown in his stage name and song titles. Scarlxrd's visual aesthetic within his music videos and clothing style is heavily influenced from Japanese culture, especially anime. His signature surgical mask, which he wears to distance himself from his YouTube image,[8] was inspired by the Japanese manga Tokyo Ghoul.[5] He began wearing the mask less often after the release of Infinity.[27] Scarlxrd also cited American heavy metal band Slipknot as an inspiration towards his visuals.[5]

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
BG
[28]
スカー藩主
  • Released: 21 October 2016[29]
  • Label: Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —
Rxse
  • Released: 9 December 2016[30]
  • Label: Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —
Cabin Fever
  • Released: 10 February 2017[31]
  • Label: Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —
Chaxsthexry
  • Released: 1 April 2017[32]
  • Label: Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —
Lxrdszn
  • Released: 29 September 2017[33]
  • Label: Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —
Dxxm 180
Infinity
  • Released: 15 March 2019
  • Label: Island Records, Lxrd Records
  • Format: CD, LP, CS, DL
 163
Immxrtalisatixn
  • Released: 4 October 2019[20]
  • Label: Island Records, Lxrd Records
  • Format: CD, LP, CS, DL
 —
Acquired Taste Vxl 1
  • Released 13 December 2019
  • Label: Island Records, Lxrd Records
  • Format: CD, LP, CS, DL
 —
Scarhxurs
  • Released 28 February 2020
  • Label: Island Records, Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —
Fantasy Vxid
  • Released 12 June 2020
  • Label: Island Records, Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —
Dxxm II
  • Released 5 February 2021
  • Label: Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —
DeadRising
  • Released 29 October 2021
  • Label: Lxrd Records
  • Format: DL
 —

Extended plays
  • Thrxwaways As Prxmised (2019) [35]
  • FantasyVxid; Intrx (2020) [36]
  • FantasyVxid; Spring (2020)
  • FantasyVxid; Autumn (2020)
  • FantasyVxid; Winter (2020)
  • FantasyVxid; Summer (2020)
  • LXRDMAGE with Ghostemane (2021)

Other releases
  • Annx Dxmini (2016; only available on SoundCloud)
  • Practice (EP, as TAKA LXRD; 2021; only available on YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud)[37]

Guest appearances
List of guest appearances showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"No/Way" (Zoda featuring Scarlxrd and King OM) 2016 N/A
"Dead Desert" (Trippie Redd featuring Scarlxrd and ZillaKami) 2021 Neon Shark vs Pegasus
"PYRO (Remix)" (Killy featuring Scarlxrd) 2021 KILLSTREAK 2
"Mercury: Retrograde (Remix)" ( Ghostemane featuring Issa Gold, HO99O9, Angel Du$t, Scarlxrd and Juicy J) 2022 N/A

References

  1. "LXRD RECORDS LIMITED". Companies House. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  2. Bassett, Jordan (21 May 2018). "The strange tale of Scarlxrd, the perky vlogger turned rap-metal overlord". NME. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  3. "X's Over O's: Scarlxrd Has Arrived". Nubi. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  4. "scarlxrd - HEART ATTACK [Prod. JVCXB]". YouTube. scarlxrd. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  5. Morton, Luke (6 June 2018). "Scarlxrd: The New Sound of the Underground". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  6. Campbell, Tina (21 April 2014). "Sam Pepper: Meet the internet music and comedy sensation soon set to tour the UK". Metro. UK. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  7. "UK YouTube Stars To Launch Comedy Show at Avalon Sept. 13". HuffPost. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  8. Washington, Daquan. "Who is Scarlxrd?". Drill King. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  9. "Myth City by Myth City on iTunes". iTunes Store. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  10. scarlxrd – GIRLFRIEND. 27 August 2016 – via YouTube.
  11. Who the Fxck Is scarlxrd?. Vice. 4 May 2018.
  12. "Lxrdszn by Scarlxrd on iTunes". iTunes Store. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  13. "More acts announced for Reading & Leeds Festival 2018". NME. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  14. "Migos, Lil Pump and More Will Appear on Carnage's 'Battered, Bruised & Bloodied' Album". XXL. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  15. "Dxxm by Scarlxrd on iTunes". iTunes Store. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  16. "Hear Rap/Metal Crossover Artists Scarlxrd's Aggro New Burner 'Head Gxne'". Revolver. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  17. Kerrang! magazine, issue 1774, May 2019, page 8.
  18. "Kerrang! Awards 2019 Preview". SoundMouth. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  19. "Here's The Complete Soundtrack To HBO's Euphoria". Men's Health. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  20. "IMMXRTALISATIXN". Apple Music. 4 October 2019."IMMXRTALISATIXN". Apple Music. 4 October 2019.
  21. "NEWS: Scarlxrd drops video for brand new track, 'I Need Space'!". 14 September 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  22. "Unleash your fury with trap metal revolutionary SCARLXRD's explosive 'DXXM' - AFROPUNK". 23 May 2018.
  23. JAMIESON, BRII (23 May 2018). "This is Trap Metal". Kerrang!.
  24. "Carnage "Battered Bruised & Bloody" Review". HotNewHipHop. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  25. "6ix9ine's debut album is as fun as he is ridiculous". The Observer. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  26. "10 new acts that'll blow your mind at Reading & Leeds this weekend". NME. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  27. "Scarlxrd Ditches YouTuber Lifestyle and His Black Mask for Screamo Success". XXL. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  28. "Ultratop.be – Scarlxrd – Dxxm". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  29. "スカー藩主 by Scarlxrd on Apple Music". iTunes. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  30. "Rxse by Scarlxrd on Apple Music". iTunes. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  31. "Cabin Fever by Scarlxrd on Apple Music". iTunes. April 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  32. "Chaxsthexry by Scarlxrd on Apple Music". iTunes. April 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  33. "Lxrdszn by Scarlxrd on Apple Music". iTunes. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  34. "DXXM by Scarlxrd on Apple Music". iTunes. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  35. "THRXWAWAYS AS PRXMISED. by Scarlxrd on Soundcloud". Soundcloud. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  36. "FANTASYVXID; INTRX by Scarlxrd on Apple Music". iTunes. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  37. "練習 - YouTube". YouTube.
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