Westleaf Staff
What's up Leafers? Welcome to the latest edition of On the Rise where we interview upcoming hip hop talent. Today's guest is rapper, Dre Marro. Dre is an American Hip Hop recording artist, Event Promoter, & Media Personality. Mainly based in the Midwest, Dre is a highly respected lyricist and independent artist who has had major influence in the Chicagoland area as well as the southeastern Wisconsin hip hop scene. We can definitely see him performing on major stages such as Coachella or Rolling Loud. The rising MC is buzzing in his home town so we had to tap in with him. Check out the interview below. Westleaf Staff: What's up, Dre? Your sound is dope! When did you start making music? Dre Marro: I initially started writing lyrics with my older brother Jorge Gamarro when I was only 10 years old. At the time, he was writing songs for fun, however being around him I slowly but surely began collaborating and learning how to write bars as well.
Westleaf Staff: That's dope! What city do you represent? Dre Marro: Although I was born in Park Ridge, Illinois, I’ve grown up and spent the majority of my life in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I lived in Chicago, Illinois in 2020 & 2021 and participated in numerous events and radio interviews at the time. The hard work and The relationships made in Chicago are what have allowed me to reach the next level of my career and to this day Chicago is where I receive the most support so I can gladly say I represent both Kenosha, WI and Chicago, IL equally.
Westleaf Staff: Shout out to VA! There's hella talent out there. So how did you create your stage name? Dre Marro: When I was younger making music in middle school and high school, my stage name was “Latin Bullet”. I had originally ripped the name off of my favorite wrestler of all time, the late great “Eddie Guerrero” as his fans called him “Latino Heat”. As I started to develop and hone my skills, I wanted my name to represent me so I choose to break down my name from “Andres Alejandro Gamarro Bran” to “Dre Marro”. I remember writing it down again and again and imagining how it would look on flyers , album covers, etc. and being happy I finally found a name that didn’t appear on google when I searched it.
Westleaf Staff: That's a dope name. So how did your early life shape your interest in music? Dre Marro: Growing up in a small town like Kenosha, Wisconsin, many people don’t expect you to seriously have aspirations to work in entertainment or the music industry. From listening to hip hop in my brothers car on my way back and forth to and from school, I always saw music as an escape and a unique way of displaying to the world who you are. From a young age my father encouraged me to always fight for my happiness and even if he wasn’t a big fan of the style of music, he supported my craft and always pushed me to work harder and make my way into the industry one way or another.
Westleaf Staff: Dope! Shoutout to you for expressing yourself! So who is your biggest Musical influence? Dre Marro: I would say “Eminem”, “Lupe Fiasco” & “Chamillionaire” could all simultaneously be considered my biggest influences. Each one has sparked & inspired something different at different times of my journey, however all 3 have also made me want to push my pen game to its limits.
Westleaf Staff: Dope! I feel that. Those are some legends.! What's been the defining moment in your music career thus far? Dre Marro: Headlining the “Jigsaw Massacre: Halloween event” in Racine, WI in 2021 alongside Chicago legend “King Louie” really made me stand back and appreciate everything I have been working for. It was one of my best performances and being able to the share the stage with an artist I was in high school looking up to, gave me a proud feeling.
Westleaf Staff: That's dope! So what makes you a unique artist? Dre Marro: My positive energy & light bleeds through my music. I rap about what I live, and sincerely aim to inspire those around me.
Westleaf Staff: Dope! So what does art mean to you? Dre Marro: Art means life to me. Life and art go hand in hand in expressing one another.
Westleaf Staff: That's deep! Where do you see your music career going over the next few years? Dre Marro: I can see myself organically growing and building a solid and loving fan base in the near future. I hope to consistently inspire other artists to be the best they can be meanwhile creating numerous platforms for independent artists to have an audience with my own record label “DreMerica Productions” that I founded with my Wife, “Guadalupe America Gamarro”
Westleaf Staff: I wish you much success! Before we go, describe music in three words. Dre Marro: Strength, passion, love.
Follow Dre Marro: Ig: @dremarro262 - https://www.instagram.com/dremarro262/?hl=en
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Dremarro
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