Adrian Marcel

Adrian Marcel recalls his earliest recollection as performing Ginuwine's "Pony," followed by Frankie Lymon's "Goody, Goody," when he turned eight years old. As an R&B vocalist hailing from East Oakland, he pursued studies at the Oakland School for the Arts. Bay Area music icon Raphael Saadiq provided initial backing and introduced Marcel's debut mixtape, 7 Days of Weak. A free 15-track edition became accessible during April 2013, whereas Universal Republic condensed it to seven selections—including Wale's contribution to an alternate take of "Waiting"—for the official drop one month afterward. Marcel collaborated with Jane Handcock on writing and arranging most tracks, which received production input from the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Beatroc, Scorp Dezel, JR Beats, St. Nick, and additional contributors, featuring 8Ball as a guest on the Club Nouveau/Luniz-referencing "Killa." Marcel put out the laid-back single "2AM" in February 2014, incorporating a verse from Sage the Gemini, and it climbed the social media charts. His track "Take Your Time," released during autumn 2015, remained on Billboard's Rhythmic Songs chart—indicative of radio airplay—for a duration of ten weeks. His inaugural studio album, GMFU, surfaced in spring 2017 through 740 Project and Caroline, fronted by the single "Mobbin" that includes Too $hort, Lil' Boosie, and M-City J.R., with Saadiq serving as executive producer.