Name: Marlow P

Where He’s From: Shepherd’s Bush, West London

When He Started: “I first started dropping music in 2022. My first single was called ‘I Ain’t Stopping’.”

Genre: UK Rap

Files Next To: Fredo, Clavish, Nines

Sound Like: “My sound is more motivational—that ‘never give up, keep going’ type of music.”

First Music That Inspired Him: “I get inspired by everyone, but when I was younger, it was the usual people that were popping, like 50 Cent, D-Block, and even Jay-Z motivated me. In the UK, I would say I was inspired by people like Sneakbo, Chipmunk and Ice Kid.”

“It’s crazy: I came to the UK from Jamaica, by myself, at the age of seven,” Marlow P tells TRENCH, lost in reflective thoughts. But it was a seismic event one night in Shepherd’s Bush that violently tore away his childhood innocence, and altered his perception of life forever: “I was living with my dad and then, two years later, he got shot in his back and died at our house. I didn’t know my dad before that, so I only got to know him for about two years.”

For Marlow P, grief isn’t a chapter in his book that closes smoothly but instead becomes a paradoxical source of strength and resilience as time goes on. “When I was younger, it was worse than now,” he confesses. “I still think about it... I’m just immune to it now; I’m used to it.” The rapper then spent his formative years in West London, where he was raised in a single-parent household with his younger brother. “On my mum’s side, I’m the oldest,” he says. “It’s just me and my brother.” It wasn’t until time passed that he came to the revelation that his family was bigger after being introduced to more of his other siblings on his dad’s side. “I wasn't close with my sisters because I met them late but I became close with my older brother on my dad’s side.” From then on, brotherhood—among both family and friends—became something he would hold in high regard.

When people outside the enclaves of West London ponder on how West London is, they often paint a picture of football clubs, the annual Notting Hill Carnival, and the shimmering spotlight of Chelsea. However, this portrayal is far removed from the gritty environment and political neglect seen through the Grenfell Tower fire and the goings on that Marlow P knows about. “It’s very rough around here,” he admits. “There are a lot of estates just like Hackney and East London. It’s not like what you think; there’s a lot of people struggling.”

As brotherhood and connections in his local community continued to blossom, the lines between ambition and survival began to thin with experiences of hardships as his adolescent years flew by leading him—like many others who grow up in inner-city, low-funded environments—on a path led astray. “I lost my dad at a young age and my mum came to this country late,” he reflects. “My family loves me but because my mum and dad weren’t there, I grew up with my aunties, and I didn’t have that much guidance. That’s where it kinda all went wrong for me, which ended up with me touching road and doing things that I shouldn’t be doing.”

Despite the hardship, Marlow P was able to figure out a lane for himself through music. In 2022, he dropped his debut single, “I Ain’t Stopping”, which quickly drew in listeners to what he had to offer. Even with successfully racking up listeners and views, he still struggled with the conflicting thoughts of self-belief which led him to take a brief hiatus for a few years after the release. “I thought to myself, ‘Can I do it?’ I just didn’t have the courage at that point, but then I just knew I needed to go studio and make songs. The response that I got from ‘I Ain’t Stopping’ is what’s keeping me motivated today; getting a million views and how well the streaming did shows me I can actually do it and get somewhere in life with music.”

What’s next to come from Marlow P is a project that would let the world witness the next chapter of his evolution. “I’ve been working on a project and it’s finally finished,” he says. “We don’t know the name yet, but it’ll be out this year.” With the project, he aims for the echoes of his journey and lifestyle to reverberate throughout London, marking his place as one of the most promising voices for this generation of artists in Britain.