Featured

My thoughts on: The Rise – Witt Lowry

This is my review of The Rise, the newest song by Witt Lowry, released on the 28th January 2020. (And yes I stayed up until 1am to hear it in Ireland..)

The Rise was a much-anticipated song from the rapper, the first since the release of Nevers Road near the end of 2019. While livestreaming on Instagram, he played a snippet of the song, giving fans no details about the release date or lyrics of the song – just 4 words: “It’s a goddamn shame”, and an incredible beat, which I can assure you, was stuck in my head for the next week.

The song is very upbeat, with a beautiful beat accompanying it. With the introduction of the song addressing the topic of change – a topic he had previously addressed in the title track of his 2015 album, Dreaming With Our Eyes Open. He talks about how people want a change, but never want to change. (Michael Jackson Man In The Mirror vibes anyone?) He goes onto say how he paid off his mothers debt, a change from when he was unable to “pay for the rent”,  when Witt was writing lyrics on the back of receipts when he worked in a movie theatre before becoming successful in the music industry.

One thing Mark addresses in the song is the criticism he gets for the inclusion of the theme of love in songs such as Like I Do, Wonder If You Wonder and Move On, by saying “not bad for some guy who complains about his ex”, following the whole rent line. But really, it isn’t bad, as since the release of Nevers Road he was even featured on the music charts. With a quick google I found his net worth is an estimated $9 million, so obviously rapping about his “ex” is doing something for him – though, do not be mistaken, the ex is only a small part of his lyrics, with Mark addressing topics that perhaps other rappers may not have the confidence to. There’s also a little nod at a previous song Mark released, Crash, where he raps “I was shooting for the stars and was shooting from the hip”, by saying in The Rise, “You shoot from the hip, I shoot for the sky, I’m shootin’ for being the greatest alive”, a humbling and inclusive trick Mark uses in many of his songs.

Apart from albums and eps, Mark has also released a chain of 4 songs, each titled “Piece Of Mind”, with fans eagerly awaiting the arrival of number 5. Speaking for myself, I know I got very excited when the idea of it was brought up in The Rise, with Mark saying “Dan said they aren’t ready for POM5, Been workin’ all night, I can sleep when I die”. Do not be mistaken Mark, we want POM5, but also want you in good health, so do make sure you get your sleep!

In the second verse, he addresses the recent phenomena on YouTube and Soundcloud, where rappers take a beat “like” Witts, and rap over it – telling them “you can never be me”.

Mark talks about his success in the charts, stating “One on the charts when you said that I’d flop, I look at my plaque and I smile a lot”, also referencing those who criticised Mark and his music.

In the second and third verse, Mark appears to be referencing the artists signed to a label, who may have lost creativity and ownership of their own songs once signed – “you sing that shit like you wrote it, you sing that shit like you wrote it”. Mark has always been proud of being independent and reaching the charts without the help of a label. Back in the second verse, he also talks about how many of the rappers featured in peoples “top three”, don’t actually profit off the streams of their songs – as it is mainly the label who do “they don’t profit off all those streams, ‘cause some old guy up in an office owns the MP3”.

Also featured in the third verse is another nod to a 2015 song called My Mistake, where he compares his room to a cocoon “And I’m locked in my room like a fucking cocoon, When I’m leaving my room, all you rappers are doomed”, once again making that reference in The Rise, by saying “I treat my room like a cocoon, I should get out more.”

The chorus attributes this, with Mark saying that this is going to be his time, his “rise”. I don’t know about all of you, but I really think that with the release of this song, it acts as the ultimate beginning to his rise.

Rating – 10/10.

Favourite Lyric – We need less sheep, we need more thought

On repeat? – Yes.

Final thoughts – I think Mark/Witt Lowry is really growing in his music, with Nevers Road being a massive success, something I can see The Rise being also. It is a fun, upbeat song, that one should listen to if they are trying to get in a hyped mood, or if they already are in one! As I’ve said earlier, I fully believe The Rise will be the song that gets Mark the worldwide success he deserves – and perhaps another feature on the charts.

Mark, you’ve done it again. You’ve smashed everyone’s expectations again, as always. I can’t wait to hear the next song you release.

You can subscribe to hear Marks latest releases on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTqvhfqR9mDf1z6sDkLgSuw or on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ghnxpW47ojtLHHyTLdxdY

You can also find him on both Instagram and Twitter @wittlowry

Fixing The Shadows Q+A

Image result for camera obscura




1.       Camera Obscura (also known as pinhole image) is a natural optical phenomenon, occurring when an image on the other side of a screen is projected through a small hole in the screen, showing a reversed and inverted image on the surface opposite.
This came from the 19th century optical device, described as the “forerunner of the modern camera” – a “darkened box” which was fitted with a convex lens used to project the image of an external object onto a screen inside.
It is often used by artists when making a quick sketch.
Image result for 2. Eadweard Muybridge

2.     Eadweard Muybridge was famous for being a pioneer in the photography field, but is best known for the invention of the first projector, which was operated with rotating glass discs which would project images onto each other in quick succession, giving the illusion of a moving image.
Image result for chuck close



3.     Chuck Close said that photography was the easiest medium in which to be confident, while also being the hardest medium in which to have a distinct personal vision.
Image result for george eastman
4. George Eastman invented both the first Kodak Camera and Roll Film. His invention changed photography by allowing people to capture memories instantly with a click of a button, rather than going through the long process that had been done before.
Image result for daguerreotype vs calotype
5.   The Daguerreotype is a highly detailed image on a polished copper plate, coated with silver – it was the first popular photographic medium. Henry Fox Talbot used a different technique known as the salted paper and calotype processes, which acted as precursors to photographic processes in later centuries.  This technique was a paper-based photographic process, used to produce positive prints – and consisted of paper coated with silver iodide. Both used different materials to effectively create a picture. The Daguerreotype is a direct photographic process, without needing duplication. While calotypes are negatives that are later printed on paper, daguerreotypes are negative images on mirrored surfaces that reflect a positive looking image.

Reasons why Witt Lowry might just be one of the best rappers of the 2010’s.

Mark Laurence Richard Jr. is a rapper from Connecticut, better known as Witt Lowry. The 28-year-old, born February 28th, 1991, has amassed fans worldwide, after first uploading songs to SoundCloud. He currently has 544K subscribers on YouTube, and almost 330K followers on Twitter and Instagram combined. To date he has released 3 studio albums – Dreaming With Our Eyes Open in 2015, I Could Not Plan This in 2017, and Nevers Road in 2019. His most recent song, The Rise, was released on the 28th of January 2020, and has already received 181K views on YouTube, as of the time this article was published. Mark has seen an incredible growth in his popularity over the past few years, which could be attributed to his amazing songs, or even his interaction with fans. Here, I will break down the reasons why I believe Witt Lowry is one of the greatest yet underappreciated rappers of our time.

5. His producer Dan

His producer, Dan Haynes, is by far one of the best producers out there. From producing killer beats, to playing the piano perfectly on Nevers Road (Album released 30/10/2019), his is a talent that few possess. The amazing beats, coupled with Witts stellar raps, makes for a flawless song every time. Dan is the humblest man you could meet, along with Mark. When I met them in February of 2019, though I wanted to talk to both, Dan stepped back and pointed to Witt, insinuating that he was the person I should talk to. Dan acts as Marks executive producer, with almost every song, if not all, of Witts songs being produced by Dan.

Familiarity aside, if your producer was as talented as Dan is, I don’t think you’d change producer either.

4. The atmosphere at his shows

If you have never been to a Witt Lowry concert, I urge you to attend one. He performs his best songs live, with an atmosphere that is palpable. Whether it’s the emotional seated performance of Last Letter, or the energetic rendition of Blood In The Water, the I Could Not Plan This tour, as well as the Nevers Road tour were examples of how a concert should be done – energetic at the right times, yet also leaving room for a poignant rendition of the songs that hit deep within the heart. Mark always puts on a good show – he even completed a performance acapella at Lollapalooza after a system fault with the microphones. The #TeamWitt community come out in all arms to see their idol, with the community being one of the most accepting and friendliest communities out there – you’re sure to make a few friends. He is 100% as good live as he is through produced tracks, and even sounds the exact same – because of no autotune?

3. His lyrics

Witt writes about real, relatable topics. He addresses things that not many other artists would be comfortable addressing. For example, in Last Letter, his best-known song for poignant lyrics – he addresses his fathers gruelling battle with cancer, a subject that is later addressed again in Reaper, a track featured on Nevers Road. He writes about topics that are important to him – Love, Loss, being an independent artist and how being signed effects performers, and events that have happened to him. Mark was in a car accident in 2018, a topic that made it into songs such as Crash and Alone. For me, Mark is one of those rappers that is not afraid to talk about topics – no matter what they may be.

2. He’s independent

In many songs Mark has addressed the fact that he feels rappers lose creativity and originality when they are signed to a label – “They told me God gave me a gift, Now how many writers you got? I been makin’ a list” – a line featured on his newest song, The Rise. Mark has always maintained that he is an independent artist and has not been signed to a label at any time in the past. For an artist who is solely independent, “Just me, myself and my team”, amassing his success worldwide is an achievement not many could do. I believe it shows Marks determination and raw talent, being independent yet achieving what he has by himself. He has played festivals, gone on worldwide tours, and has released multiple albums, all while being independent. I believe that is a brilliant accomplishment, one that Mark should take great pride in knowing – he achieved what signed artists achieve with the help of a label and a big amount of cash behind them – he achieved all that by himself.

1.His relationship with his fans.

Marks relationship with his fans is probably my favourite thing about him. After his shows, despite already holding a meet and greet earlier, he comes out to adoring fans who have waited outside the venue to meet him. I was one, I couldn’t buy tickets to his meet and greet but wanted to try my luck at even getting a glimpse of him. Having not met Mark before, I was fully expecting him to be too busy and to just say hello and go home, as there were maybe 10 people outside. To my surprise, he talked to each one of us, giving whoever he was talking to his full attention. He talked to me for maybe 10 minutes, and gave me multiple hugs as I told him the impact he had on me. I’m used to being the one instigating a hug when I meet a celebrity, but for Mark to ask to hug me multiple times just solidifies my case. Whether its talking to fans at his shows and giving them his full attention, or interacting with fans on Twitter and Instagram (he has liked almost every tweet I tag him in – what other artist can say they do that?) to always talking about how amazing his fanbase is and attributing his success to his fans – Mark has a relationship with #TeamWitt that is rare to find with artists of that calibre.

He said it himself in The Rise – “I’m thankful for every fan that I got”

Witt Lowry, I believe is one of the greatest rappers of our time, one who deserves to be of the same success as the other great rappers of our time. His relationship with his fans, his real and relatable lyrics, and his work ethic while being an independent artist are all reasons why you should check Mark out.

You can find Mark on Twitter/Instagram @wittlowry and his YouTube and Spotify links are:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTqvhfqR9mDf1z6sDkLgSuw

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started