With hip-hop being the kind of genre that does not accept anything less than full disclosure from an artist, it would make sense that Long Island’s Marcaux would do a stripped-down version of his already vulnerable track “Cedar Creek.” The song touches on the artist’s least proud moments with full honesty and emotion; the vibrant acoustic strings and thumping cajón help highlight the flow and lyricism of Marcaux. “Cedar Creek” is an ode to a troubled youth reformed, to a dream achieved, and to a place in the artist’s life that is deeply connected to memory.
The video is minimal in production: a simple, lime green backdrop is all that is needed to allow the performers, and most importantly the message, to stand out. The performance naturally grows with passion as the song goes on and culminates with a gentle guitar chord that aims to stay with the listener long after the song stops. The single is hip-hop in all its poetic sense and brushes on the genre of emo-rap that artists like Hobo Johnson have helped highlight.
Marcaux is closing out the year in style and is showing his followers that he is an artist not afraid to bare his soul for them, inviting new listeners to be a part of the experience. “Cedar Creek” is much more than just a single for the Long Island artist, it is a confession as well as a cathartic end to a chapter of a journey that is only in its infancy.
